Rafael Nadal sailed into the second round of the Australian Open on day two before backing "humble" fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz to have a "great career" following his maiden grand slam win.
Nadal cruised to a 6-3 6-4 6-1 victory over Laslo Djere on Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday and will face Michael Mmoh in round two.
The Spanish great's compatriot Alcaraz won his first major match at Melbourne Park, seeing off fellow qualifier Botic Van de Zandschulp 6-1 6-4 6-4.
Murcia native Alcaraz has been billed by Nadal's uncle and former coach, Toni Nadal, as his nephew's "natural replacement" and the 20-time grand slam champion says the 17-year-old has all the ingredients to have a great career.
The second seed said: "He's very good. He's very young. He has everything to improve in the future with his age.
"He already is where he is, and he has a lot of great things on his game. I really believe that he will have a great future because he's a good guy, humble, hard worker. He has a lot of positive things."
Daniil Medvedev outclassed Vasek Pospisil 6-2 6-2 6-4, while Stefanos Tsitsipas eased past Gilles Simon 6-1 6-2 6-1, but fellow seed David Goffin lost a five-set marathon with Alexei Popyrin.
Nadal happy to 'survive'
Nadal missed the ATP Cup before starting his quest for a record 21st grand slam title at Melbourne Park due to muscle tightness in his back.
He was simply happy to clear the first hurdle on the second day of the tournament.
"I needed to survive today and that's what I did. I just tried to be focused all the time, tried to get through," he said.
"For me personally, [I'm] happy to be through to the second round. I did I think a good job today. Straight sets, that's what I did."
Tennys disgruntled over 'joke' of preparation
American Tennys Sandgren was among over 70 players who were locked down in a hotel for a fortnight before the tournament due to positive COVID-19 test on their flight to Australia.
Sandgren made no secret of his displeasure over the restrictions he was forced to adhere to and let his feelings be known again after the two-time quarter-finalist lost 7-5 6-1 6-1 to Alex de Minaur on John Cain Arena.
He said: "How would you imagine prepping for a hot kind of muggy day, three-out-of-five sets against a player like that, that calibre, when you can't play tennis? You can't go outside? You can't. It's impossible. It's impossible.
"So I played last week's event [the Great Ocean Road Open], which probably wasn't a good idea. It wasn't hot, it was very mild conditions, and I played two hard three-set matches and I've never been more sore in my life after the second round, and I took two days off because I couldn't walk, and then I hit a couple times before today. I mean, it's just kind of a joke of preparation. But yeah. What are you going to do?"
Alcaraz escaping social media hype
Big things are expected of teenager Alcaraz and there was more hype over his potential after an impressive first-round win.
Alcaraz just wants to do his own thing and show why the likes of Rafael and Toni Nadal speak so highly of him.
"So I try to be focus on me, not on the social media, to play my game, play in front of my team, to my team, to me, my family," he said.
"I try to, yeah, to be a part of the social media and don't hear the comparison with Rafa. Yeah, I try to do this."
'You cannot switch off for one second' - Silva rues late West Ham equaliser
Marco Silva conceded Fulham "cannot switch off for one second" in the Premier League, after Danny Ings' last-gasp equaliser denied the Cottagers all three points against West Ham.
The hosts appeared on course to take the spoils in the London derby at Craven Cottage, where Raul Jimenez put them in front after 24 minutes.
However, the visitors snatched a dramatic equaliser in the fifth minute of stoppage time, when substitute Ings fired past Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno.
And Silva acknowledged his side's brief lapse in concentration proved costly.
"It just shows that in this Premier League, you cannot switch off for one second," he told BBC Sport. "We are aware of the quick throws, and we have to keep focus and concentration.
"A big frustration for us because, before that, it was a good performance. It was clear we were the best team on the pitch. They did not have one shot [on target] in the first half.
"We should have won this game. It was not a game where West Ham pushed us back. The goal came after we switched off. It just shows you have to keep focus until the last second."
Silva also felt Fulham should have been awarded a first-half penalty when Adama Traore was challenged by Max Kilman.
"It was a clear, clear, penalty in my opinion," he added. "It's difficult to understand why it was not a penalty in that situation. I don't even want to say anything more about it."
Meanwhile, West Ham boss paid tribute to Ings, who was making only his second Premier League appearance of the season - with both coming as a late substitute.
"It was a very 'Danny Ings' goal!", Lopetegui told West Ham's official website. "He is always agile in those kinds of actions, and he took his chance very well.
"I'm really happy for him, because he hasn't played much up until now, but he is always ready to go. He is a really good example to all of his team-mates, and it's great to see his work pay off.
"As a player, it can be hard when you don't know when the coach is going to call you. The important thing is to try and always be ready, because you are going to be needed at some point.
"Scoring in the last minute today is important, because he's shown everyone that you have to believe until the end. Even though there were things we could do better today, we kept going, and we got something out of the game."
Fulham 1-1 West Ham: Ings' last-gasp leveller denies Cottagers
Danny Ings' stoppage-time strike rescued a point for West Ham as they drew 1-1 with Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Ings cancelled out Raul Jimenez's first-half goal as local bragging rights were shared in this London derby.
Fulham should have broken the deadlock in the 23rd minute, but Adama Traore headed Alex Iwobi's inviting cross wide from six yards out.
But the hosts were not to be denied just 60 seconds later. Smith Rowe beat the offside trap to latch onto Andreas Pereira's throughball, before crossing for Jimenez to tuck away.
West Ham went close to equalising on the hour mark when Jarrod Bowen brilliantly controlled Mohammed Kudus' cross, but was thwarted by Bernd Leno's smart reflex save.
The Hammers looked set to leave the Cottage empty-handed until the fourth minute of stoppage time, when substitute Ings took Bowen's centre into his stride before Leno could only help the fierce drive into the net.
Data Debrief: Jimenez continues to be scourge of Hammers
Jimenez continued his impressive scoring record against West Ham. The Mexican found the net against them in the Premier League for the sixth time; more than he has managed against any other side.
However, his efforts ultimately proved in vain. Despite an xG of just 0.53 - compared to Fulham's 1.61 - the Hammers struck with one of the last kicks of the game to prevent a third defeat in four matches.
It was Ings' first Premier League away goal since November 2022, while it was the latest West Ham have scored that gained points in the Premier League.
Nadal unsure of future involvements after Laver Cup withdrawal
Rafael Nadal says he cannot commit himself to future tournaments after his withdrawal from the Laver Cup.
Nadal shared news on Thursday that he would not make an appearance at the annual event in Berlin, stating that it would not be in the best interests of Team Europe if he were to participate.
The Spaniard was last in action playing doubles at the Paris Olympics with Carlos Alcaraz, and while he says he is in a good space mentally, he was not able to confirm when he would next make a professional appearance on a tennis court.
He said: "Mentally, I’m good, no problems. I'm at home enjoying other things, training as much as I can every day.
"No drama, obviously these are decisions [the Laver Cup withdrawal] that are being made, and this was a possibility - it's been a while without competing. There will be someone else who can do better.
"Right now I’m not in a position to put myself down for anything.
"I said [I would play] until the Olympics and then we would see, and I'm in that period of rest."
Nadal has endured a difficult 2024 so far, playing just 21 competitive singles matches with a record of 13-8.
He has only one grand slam victory to his name this year, beating Jack Draper in the Australian Open, but he lost in the first round of the French Open to eventual finalist Alexander Zverev.
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