Rafael Nadal joins Federer, Connors and Agassi on massive Major achievement

Competing at his first official match of the season, Rafael Nadal defeated Laslo Djere 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 in the first round at the Australian Open, his 80th match at Melbourne Park.

Struggling with a back injury for the past two weeks, Nadal gave his best to outplay the rival in straight sets and save energy for the upcoming matches, hoping that the pain will go away eventually. Playing aggressive tennis, the Spaniard lost serve once and grabbed six return games to control the pace and seal the deal in under two hours.

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Rafael Nadal tops Laslo Djere to kick off Australian Open title chase

Thus, Nadal secured the 19th consecutive season with at least one victory at Majors, joining an exclusive list with Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi and Roger Federer, who achieved that before him.

Making a Major debut in 2003 right after turning 17, Rafa became one of the youngest players in the Wimbledon third round, kicking off his stellar journey at the most notable tennis events in style. The Spaniard won the first title two years later at Roland Garros, a couple of days after the 19th birthday, becoming the last teenager with a Major trophy. The rest is pretty much history, as Nadal became one of the most decorated competitors in tennis history, lifting the 20th Major trophy in Paris last October to match Roger Federer's tally.

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Rafael Nadal opens up about back injury ahead of Australian Open

Nadal won at least one Major title in 14 of the previous 16 seasons, failing to achieve that in 2015 and 2016 when he barely stayed inside the top-10 after numerous injuries and setbacks. From 2017, Nadal was back at his best at the biggest events, conquering four Roland Garros and two US Open crowns to write history books and chase the 21st Major trophy in 2021.