MELBOURNE: Rafael Nadal may have ended last year on the treatment table and a doubt for the year鈥檚 first Grand Slam, but he has already dealt an ace to any suggestions he cannot challenge for the title.
The world No. 1 beat Argentina鈥檚 Leonardo Mayer in straight sets on the Rod Laver Arena and claimed the manner of the victory proved he was getting back to the form he needs to be in to win a second Australian Open title.
鈥滻t was an important victory for me, he鈥檚 a tough opponent,鈥� Nadal said after the 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 win secured in two hours 38 minutes.
鈥淟eonardo is a player with big potential, he hits the ball so strong and you could see in the last couple of games how tough was he.
鈥淚 had to hit some great shots in the tie-break, he鈥檚 a very dangerous opponent.
鈥淚 am happy to be in the third round after being out of competition for a while, a second victory in a row is very important to me.鈥�
He now faces plays Bosnian 28th seed Damir Dzumhur in the next round on Friday, when temperatures are forecast to hit 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), with Nadal urging organizers to shut the roof on the stadium he plays on.
鈥淭he only thing that I hope, if it is extreme conditions, I hope the organizers shut the roof. I think is a health issue,鈥� he said.
鈥淓ven I like sometimes to play when it鈥檚 hot. When it鈥檚 too much, it becomes dangerous for the health.鈥�
As if the torrid temperatures were not enough to worry about, Nadal also revealed he was not taking victory against Dzumhur for granted.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a tricky one. The only way to win is play in a high rhythm than him and try to play aggressive, try to put the highest intensity possible out there. That鈥檚 what I going to try.鈥�
Mayer played well and stuck to his guns, hitting 48 winners offset by 33 unforced errors and breaking serve for the only time in the match as Nadal was serving out to win, forcing the third set into a tiebreaker.
鈥淗e played a great game, all the returns in, very long, playing so aggressive, hitting all the balls super strong, and having success,鈥� Nadal said of Mayer.
The win took the 31-year-old Spaniard鈥檚 Australian Open record to 53-11 as he chases his second Australian title after beating Federer in the 2009 final.
Rafael Nadal warns Australian Open field of serious title challenge
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