Former Tennis number ones Rafael Nadal and Naomi Osaka have managed to win their first competitive singles matches respectively at the Brisbane International in Australia.
Nadal has been recovering after he had an operation on his left hip in June last year, while Osaka was also away from the court for a lengthy period due to prioritise her mental health and then becoming a mother in July last year.
The Spaniard beat Dominic Thiem 7-5 6-1 winning 21 of his opening 24 points on serve and sometimes displaying his old match-winning tricks and performance to advance to the last 16 of the tournament.
An emotional 22-time Grand Slam champion, who’s now ranked 672 in the world rankings, told the cheerful Brisbane crowd that he feels proud to be back in the court.
“Today is honestly an emotional and important day for me after probably one of the toughest years of my tennis career without a doubt.
“I had the chance to come back after a year and play in front of an amazing crowd and play at a very positive level on the first day.
“It is something that makes us feel proud, my team and family who have been there every day in the last year,” said Nadal.
Nadal, who is ranked 672 in the world rankings, will now play 102-ranked Australian Jason Kubler, in the last 16 on Thursday.
The 37-year-old has indicated that this season will likely be the last of his career.
Meanwhile, the unranked Osaka beat Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch 6-3 7-6 (11-9) in her first competitive match at the same tournament.
Her opponent didn’t make it easy for her though in the second match, but Osaka showed her expertise to win the match.
The four-time grand slam champion has spent more than a year away from the court, dealing with her mental problems and starting a family.
She told the crowd that she super nervous when playing, but excited to be back in the court and feels a sense of maturity when compared to the last time she was playing.
“I feel like the last couple of years that I play before I had my daughter, I didn’t return as much love I was given, so I really feel like that’s what I want to do in this chapter.
“I just really appreciate people coming out, knowing me, and cheering for me, because I feel like there’s a time when I was just a little kid trying to watch my role models play. So, it feels surreal sometimes to be playing on these courts,” said the excited Osaka.
The 26-year-old will now play Karolína Plíšková in the second round in a match, who is also a former world number one.
She said becoming a mother made her realise how strong she is, and that all mothers can do anything that they want to achieve.
She however joked that winning a match is easier than raising a newborn.
“Shai (her daughter) likes to fight her sleeps. So, I would say preferably playing tennis over changing diapers and anything like that,” quipped Osaka.
Both players are using the tournament to prepare for the Australian Open, which starts on 14 January in Melbourne.
