The Spaniard, who is hoping to win his 23rd Grand Slam title, took some to find his rhythm in the match against the Australian. He extends his Grand Slam match wins to 20-0 for this year.
He may have given Nick Kyrgios the walkover at the Wimbledon semis, but Nadal still managed to win his quarterfinals match before an abdominal injury forced him to stop.
Match Highlights:
“It’s been a long wait. For some time I thought I may not be able to be back, so I am super happy. Night sessions are the best,” Nadal said.
“I just have to be humble and accept the process, day after day in practices and matches and stay positive.”
Nadal has not lost an opening match at a Grand Slam since the 2016 Australian Open.
For his second round, he will face Italian player Fabio Fognini. The two have a Head2Head record of 13-4 in Nadal’s favor. Fognini is coming off a win against Aslan Karatsev 1-6, 5-7, 6-4, 6-1, 6-4 in a match that lasted three hours and 34 minutes.
Nadal is second-seeded at the US Open and is in a good position to overtake Daniil Medvedev for the No.1 spot should he win the title.
However, he is not the only player vying for the top rank. Also in the running is the current No.1 Medvedev, Casper Ruud, and Carlos Alcaraz.