World number one Rafael Nadal won his opening match at this week’s Rio Open tournament which increased his consecutive claycourt win to 24 since last season. The Spaniard defeated compatriot Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-3, 7-5 which marked the tennis superstar’s 800th career match.
This is Nadal’s first match since his surprise final loss at the Australian Open last month to Stanislas Wawrinka.
“I’m happy to be back in competition,” said Nadal. “I had to face a player that’s been playing for several weeks on clay courts. I have to improve some details, but I played better than I practiced and that’s positive.
“Latin America is very special for me, I feel like home. The people are great to me and it’s a pleasure to be back in Brazil. I hope I can come more often,” he added.
Nadal now has a 670-130 win loss record in the ATP Tour. He’s just the sixth active player to have played at least 800 matches together with veterans Roger Federer, Lleyton Hewitt, Tommy Haas, Nikolay Davydenko and David Ferrer.
Up next for Nadal is another compatriot, Albert Montanes
