Rafael Nadal returned to the ATP World Tour for the first time in two-and-a-half months to beat 2012 finalist Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3, 6-3 on Tuesday night at the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp. The Spanish superstar, who is making his debut at the ATP World Tour 250 hard-court tournament, will next face Mischa Zverev in the second round. “It’s a beautiful court with great crowd - so it was a great experience,” said Nadal. “I think I played a solid match without too many mistakes. That makes me feel good and happy for the victory, obviously.” It was a battle between one of the ATP World Tour’s heaviest top-spinners, Nadal, versus one of flattest hitters, Dolgopolov, who gained the first...
Rafael Nadal got up close with Dian the koala ahead of his first match in Brisbane. Video courtesy Tennis Australia. Photo: Peter Staples/ATP World Tour
Rafael Nadal is eager to commence his 2017 ATP World Tour season against Alexandr Dolgopolov Tuesday night in Brisbane. Such is the strength of the Brisbane International field, which features five Top 10 players, that fifth-seed Nadal does not enjoy the first-round bye afforded to Milos Raonic, Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori and Dominic Thiem. After flying in in the early hours of Monday morning, Nadal had his first practice session under lights Monday evening, watched by hundreds of fans who took every vantage point to get an up-close look at the former World No. 1. This is the first time that the Spaniard will be competing in Australia in the first week of the season. [ALSO LIKE] “For me to...
Watch Rafael Nadal's arrival at the airport in Brisbane, ahead of his debut at the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp. Video courtesy Tennis Australia