Nadal makes short work of Mayer

In his second appearance, it was obvious that "Rafa" wanted to get through the match quickly in order to save his energy for future matches, as he is currently considered one of the heavy favorites to win the 2018 tournament. Argentine Leonardo Mayer, the current No. 52 in the ATP world rankings, showed determination to stand up to Nadal, but the Spaniard parried in the decisive moments with unstoppable forehand passing shots in typical Nadal style, as we know it only too well from the Spaniard. Mayer worked his way from 6:3 in the first set to 6:4 in the second and even managed an impressive 6:6 in the third, but in fact had no chance against Nadal, who made things clear for himself with strong serves and clear winners in the end with a 7:6 win. A clear, smooth and short victory for Rafael Nadal, who is thus practically through to the next round without any problems. Nadal shows himself to be in exceptionally good form and determined. So far at the Australian Open 2018, he is completely fulfilling the expectations of the fans and certainly of himself.