Rafa Nadal eases into second round despite injury scare in hotel

RAFA Nadal eased into the second round of the Australian Open with a fuss-free 6-4 6-1 6-1 win over American Alex Kuznetsov yesterday but said he felt lucky to be on the court because of a big injury scare.

The world No 2 explained that he felt a “crack” on his right knee when sitting on a chair at his hotel on Sunday and needed physiotherapy that afternoon and all day yesterday to recover in time for his match.

“Yesterday afternoon the most strange thing happened to me,” he told reporters. “I stood up and felt the knee a little bit strangely. I moved the leg two times to try to find some feeling. After the second time there was unbelievable pain. I really couldn’t move the knee. I had no movement on the knee.”

Nadal said scans did not show any major problem but added he was still in pain when he started the match with qualifier Kuznetsov.

“After the first ten games I started to play normally,” said the 25-year-old Spaniard. “I really don’t understand what happened yesterday but I am really happy that I was ready to play and I played a fantastic match.”

Nadal, who came into the tournament with a lot of focus on his injured shoulder, played with his knee strapped and took 44 minutes to wrap up the first set. The left-hander then ran away with the next two sets, dominating from the baseline and giving Kuznetsov just two break-point opportunities when he served for victory. He will meet Tommy Haas in the second round after the German beat American qualifier Denis Kudla 7-6 3-6 6-0 7-5.

Roger Federer, meanwhile, eased past the challenge of Alexander Kudryavtsev, winning 7-5 6-2 6-2. The 30-year-old Swiss – who withdrew during the Qatar Open after suffering back pain – was at his clinical best, blasting winners from all angles as he wrapped up the match in 98 minutes at Rod Laver Arena.

In the women’s game, Caroline Wozniacki, searching for her maiden grand slam title, thrashed local hope Anastasia Rodionova 6-2 6-1 to silence the night crowd in yesterday’s final match on Rod Laver.

The win, wrapped up in just over an hour, suggested that the wrist injury the Dane sustained in the Sydney International last week is no cause for concern.

“It feels better. I was a little bit nervous about my wrist, I was so happy I could play full out today,” said Wozniacki afterwards. “I didn’t know exactly what to expect.”