The NBA has said all teams will keep up the tradition of playing the United States national anthem before games, despite the Dallas Mavericks' decision not to.
ESPN reported on Tuesday that Mark Cuban, director and owner of the Mavs, had confirmed the team – who had not played the national anthem prior to any of their 13 pre-season or regular-season home games so far – would not resume the tradition.
Cuban declined to comment further but made the decision after consulting with NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
However, on Wednesday, the NBA issued a statement insisting teams will play the anthem before each home game.
"With NBA teams now in the process of welcoming fans back into their arenas, all teams will play the national anthem in keeping with longstanding league policy," a statement from NBA chief communications officer Mike Bass read.
The NBA's rulebook requires players to stand during the national anthem though it is not a policy which has been enforced by Silver, with players often choosing to take a knee during the anthem to protest social and racial injustice – something which Cuban has previously backed.
Johnny Sexton has hit out at the "inaccurate and highly inappropriate" comments of a French doctor regarding the Ireland star's concussion record.
Dr Jean-Francois Chermann, who stood Sexton down from playing duties for 12 weeks at Racing 92 back in 2014, told RMC Sport on Tuesday that Sexton had suffered approximately 30 concussions in his career.
His remarks came after the fly-half sustained a blow to the head in Ireland's Six Nations loss to Wales, meaning he is undergoing return-to-play protocols ahead of Sunday's visit of France.
Sexton was angered by Chermann's words when addressing the subject in his pre-match news conference.
"I am pretty saddened and shocked by the inaccurate reports that were thrown out yesterday," he said. "We've been here before and it's very frustrating.
"For me, I just think it's totally inappropriate that a doctor that I have seen – many years ago now – felt it was appropriate to come out and talk to whoever it was and say those things.
"It's inaccurate and highly inappropriate and I am pretty disappointed but, for me, I am so used to it, it's almost like water off a duck's back, but for my wife and mum it's very upsetting.
"But that's the world we live in.
"I thought there was patient and doctor confidentiality, I am pretty sure that exists in the world, and I just can't get over the fact that someone thought it was appropriate to just come out of nowhere and just start saying things that weren't even accurate, that's the most hurtful thing."
Aaron Smith says Antoine Dupont is "on another level" to any other player in the world as the mercurial scrum-half strives to end France's Six Nations title drought.
Dupont tormented Italy in the first match of the tournament, proving four assists – equalling compatriot Frederic Michalak's record for a single Six Nations match – and scoring a try of his own in a 50-10 rout at Stadio Olimpico on Saturday.
The playmaker became the seventh man to lay on three or more tries in a game in the competition, also joining Michalak and former number nine Austin Healey as the only players to have been directly involved in five tries in a match in this tournament.
Dupont was a constant menace to the Azzurri as he pulled the strings in a livewire display before he was given the chance to put his feet up just before the hour mark.
New Zealand scrum-half Smith, who has earned 97 caps and won the Rugby World Cup in 2015, rates the 24-year-old Toulouse pivot as being a cut above any other player on the planet.
Responding to a tweet from the Six Nations official account asking who is the best player in the world, Smith posted: "@Dupont9A this guy is on another level!
"No one is near him atm. He's the point of difference for both his club and country. He's helping me look at parts of my game to improve. #Respect #9Gang"
Ireland will have to keep Dupont quiet at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday when they look to get up and running following a 21-16 defeat to Wales in Cardiff.
Novak Djokovic admitted there was plenty of room for improvement after coming through a "difficult spot" at the Australian Open, where Nick Kyrgios thrilled the crowd with an impressive comeback.
Top seed Djokovic was made to work for his 6-3 6-7 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 triumph against Frances Tiafoe as he reached the third round in Melbourne.
Kyrgios is also through, albeit he even surprised himself by rallying from the brink of defeat to knock out 29th seed Ugo Humbert in the evening session.
Stan Wawrinka was on the wrong of an upset on Wednesday, but there were no such problems for fellow seeds Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev, Diego Schwartzman and Milos Raonic.
Meanwhile, Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime will have to put their friendship to one side when they face each other next, the former setting up the all-Canadian clash by beating Bernard Tomic in three sets.
'PASSIVE' DJOKOVIC STILL MAKING PROGRESS
In the first meeting between the pair, the impressive Tiafoe went toe-to-toe with Djokovic on Rod Laver Arena.
The 23-year-old American's performance – coupled with the Melbourne heat – made the eight-time Australian Open champion sweat, albeit Djokovic felt he could have made life easier for himself.
"I was at times not feeling my timing as well as I normally am. Credit to him. I think he has managed to come out with a great performance and quality of tennis. He put me in a difficult spot," he said.
"I had my chances early in the second set. If I broke him there, maybe the course of the match would be different.
"But again, he was holding his serve very well. I was not really using my break-point chances very well. At times I was too passive. Just wasn't feeling the ball today as well as I normally do."
Next up for Djokovic is another player from the United States in the form of Taylor Fritz, who ousted compatriot Reilly Opelka in a five-set battle.
IN THE NICK OF TIME
Kyrgios described his clash with Humbert as "one of the craziest matches I've ever played" after prevailing 5-7 6-4 3-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 - much to the delight of an enthralled audience who watched the drama unfold on John Cain Arena.
The Australian smashed a racket, lost his cool with umpire Marijana Veljovic over a faulty net cord sensor and had to save a pair of match points before eventually coming out on top in a see-saw battle.
"I just remember, down that end, when I was a couple of match points down, I don't know what was going on," Kyrgios - who dropped to his knees after sealing victory - said in his on-court interview.
"If you were inside my head, there were some dark thoughts in there. But I live to fight another day and hopefully I can continue to play good tennis in front of you guys."
His reward is a clash with Thiem, the third seed having dismissed the challenge of German Dominik Koepfer in straight sets as he dropped just six games.
STAN-D AND DELIVER
Wawrinka appeared on course to survive a serious scare when he rallied from two sets down against Marton Fucsovics, but the Swiss was unable to seize on the chances that came his way in a tense tie-break.
Fucsovics had needed over four hours to overcome wild card Marc Polmans in the previous round and, once again, found a way to get over the finishing line at the end of a Melbourne marathon.
The Hungarian trailed 6-1 during the decisive breaker, yet hit back to stun the 17th seed 7-5 6-1 4-6 2-6 7-6 (11-9). For Wawrinka, there was frustration at the missed opportunities, albeit he also praised his conqueror.
"From 6-1 up, I started to hesitate a little bit in the way I was playing," he said. "I wanted to put the ball maybe too much in and I [was] not going completely for my shots and that's when I started to miss a little bit and it helped him to come back in the match.
"He was fighting well, he's a tough player, he's a good player and he deserved to win."
Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka sizzled in the scorching Melbourne heat on day three of the Australian Open.
Williams, aiming once more for a record-equalling 24th singles grand slam, made serene progress from round two on what was the hottest day of the tournament so far.
It was a similar story for Osaka, who is aiming to become a two-time champion at Melbourne Park, but Simona Halep had to dig deep while Bianca Andreescu and Petra Kvitova were early casualties on Wednesday.
PLAIN SAILING FOR SERENA AND OSAKA
Williams' perfect start to the season extended to 5-0 as she swatted aside Nina Stojanovic 6-3 6-0 to set up a round-three meeting with Anastasia Potapova – the same opponent she overcame in Melbourne in the first round a year ago.
The seven-time Australian Open champion is looking forward to renewing acquaintances with the Russian.
"It's always a fun, interesting match [against Potapova]. I'm gonna go home, get ready and just do the best," she said.
"We're all out here to have fun and I'm happy to be out here, and just to be playing in front of crowd again is really cool. So every day is just fun."
Osaka, the current US Open champion and the winner in Melbourne two years ago, hammered former world number four Caroline Garcia 6-2 6-3 on Rod Laver Arena in the evening session.
The Japanese star is set to face her friend Ons Jabeur for the first time in an official match in round three.
"She's really funny," Osaka said of her next opponent. "I don't know if you guys watch any of her interviews. I think she is really funny and nice.
"I think the match I am going to play against her will be really difficult, but I'm looking forward to it."
HALEP SURVIVES TOMLJANOVIC TEST
In contrast to Williams and Osaka's comfortable wins, second seed Halep was taken to the brink by home favourite Ajla Tomljanovic, who won the first set and was serving for the match in the third.
However, 2018 finalist Halep broke back when trailing 5-4 in the decider and battled through with a 4-6 6-4 7-5 victory in a match that saw a combined 94 unforced errors (57 for Tomljanovic, 37 for Halep).
"I was expecting that she would play very hard and very strong. I expected it to be a difficult match, but it was more than I thought. But I'm really happy that I can smile now," Halep said.
"I was not that positive when I was talking to myself. I didn't talk about the score, I was just blaming myself, that I'm not strong enough to win against her. But in the end mentally I was maybe a bit stronger than her, and I didn't want to give up."
Last year's losing finalist Garbine Muguruza (14) was too good for Ludmilla Samsonova in a 6-3 6-1 win, while French Open champion Iga Swiatek (15) dispatched Camila Giorgi 6-2 6-4.
Aryna Sabalenka (7), Marketa Vondrousova (19) and Veronika Kudermetova (32) all made it through, but fellow seed Elena Rybakina (17) was beaten in straight sets by Fiona Ferro.
EARLY EXITS FOR ANDREESCU AND KVITOVA
Andreescu became the latest scalp for veteran Hsieh Su-Wei, who earned a commanding 6-3 6-2 victory and is now 4-3 against top-10 players in the slams since 2017.
Eighth seed Andreescu won the US Open in 2019 but missed the entirety of last year with a knee injury, while her preparation here was disrupted by spending 14 days in quarantine after her coach tested positive for coronavirus.
"After my first round, I thought I would feel more exhausted, but I felt amazing. Also, today the weather was a bit tricky. Being in the heart of quarantine I could have had those extra two weeks of like being in the heat and getting used to sweating and all of that," she said.
Next up for Hsieh is Sara Errani, who defeated Venus Williams 6-1 6-0. The veteran American rolled her ankle towards the end of the first set and, despite needing two medical timeouts, valiantly saw out the match.
Kvitova was a runner-up to Osaka in 2019 and appeared on course to recovery after dominating the second set against Sorana Cirstea.
But amid sweltering conditions, the Czech ninth seed went on to lose the decider.
"It was quite a rollercoaster, for sure," she said. "Unfortunately I couldn't take the chances to win the first set.
"I think that was really the key of the match. She really had a great day today; she played a good game. I didn't really bring the best tennis today. It's really hurting."
Kyrie Irving accepts the Brooklyn Nets "look very average" but insisted the rest of the NBA will be on notice when the team finally starts to click.
The Nets have assembled a star-studded cast with James Harden arriving last month to form an exciting 'Big 3' alongside Irving and Kevin Durant.
But since Harden's heralded arrival, the Nets have gone 7-6. Tuesday's disappointing 122-111 loss to the Detroit Pistons was their third in a row and they have a 14-12 record for the season, comfortably behind Eastern Conference rivals the Philadelphia 76ers (18-7) and the Milwaukee Bucks (16-8).
Defense has been a particular concern for the inconsistent Nets, a fact highlighted by the Pistons shooting 56 per cent from the field and 44.8 per cent from the beyond the arc.
Irving knows the Nets, who were without Durant against the Pistons, are not living up to expectations but remains confident they will get it right as the season progresses.
"I don't think that we go out every single day and sacrifice the time to be average at anything," Irving told reporters.
"We look very average, we have the talent that the eye test presents that we should be dominating. We have the experience in terms of some of our guys have been some through certain things, circumstances to be able to battle through.
"We're the team that is literally battling against so many odds that at this point it's not even a reason to continue to comment on. They are what they are.
"As a warrior that I am and the energy I have alongside my team-mates, we just have to turn that corner. We haven't done it yet but we will and I'm telling you the league is going to be on notice when that happens. We just have to take it by day by day."
The Nets have lost four of their past five outings, with three of those setbacks coming against teams who have losing records.
Irving acknowledges the Nets need to address the perception the team is not playing hard enough.
"I don't accept that, and I don't think our team accepts it as a whole, obviously we don't want that to be what teams think of us," he added.
"We're seeing it day in, day out where guys and teams are coming out and punching us in the mouth early and we're playing catch up.
"It happens to be against the guys with the least good records. We gotta call it for what it is, we gotta fix that. It takes maturity, accountability and a realisation of what we need to do moving forward."
Irving missed the previous loss to the Philadelphia 76ers due to an injury to his right index finger – an issue that is still troubling him.
"It sucks man," he said. "It's uncomfortable but at the same time I don't want to make excuses.
"I'm out there, I do a lot of treatment on it, we're down a few players obviously as well. You just want to go out there and compete and worry about the pain later. I'm doing the best I can."
Stephen Curry dazzled once again as he scored 32 points for the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, leading Steve Kerr to declare: "I don't think I've ever seen him look better".
Having missed the majority of the previous season due to injury, Curry has been outstanding upon his return. The guard is averaging 29.6 points per game despite playing restricted minutes following his long lay-off.
The San Antonio Spurs were the latest team unable to stop the two-time NBA MVP, who produced one particularly memorable play in the first quarter of his team's 114-91 triumph on the road.
Curry was fouled on a drive but, with his back to the basket, managed to flip the ball on target at the last moment, having appeared set at one moment to throw a pass out to a waiting team-mate.
For Golden State coach Kerr, it was another example of how the 32-year-old makes the seemingly impossible look easy.
"I think that's part of Steph's brilliance is that he just constantly amazes you to the point where you almost take it for granted," Kerr said after the win over the Spurs.
"I do think, and maybe it's circumstantial given the injuries and the fact that he's playing with a different group of guys, that this is the best I've ever seen him just from a confidence and a strength standpoint.
"That's saying something, obviously - a two-time MVP. I don't think I've ever seen him look better."
Draymond Green compared Curry's miracle shot to one produced by the great Michael Jordan, though the scorer himself insisted it was simply a case of reacting to the situation, having realised he had drawn the foul.
"It was a fun one," Curry said after the game. "I don't know the ranking, but it was up there, for sure.
"I had to improvise. I don't really even know how to explain it: I just had a good flow once I got the contact and heard the whistle. Just get it up on the glass however you can. All the wild and acrobatic shots you practice or tried, the instincts take over, so that was pretty cool."
Curry's performance - he went 11-for-20 shooting from the floor - helped put an end to the Spurs' three-game winning streak, while the Warriors improve to 13-12 on the season.
The result also saw Kerr reach a significant landmark in his coaching career, with this his 350th win.
"I worked my butt off over the offseason," Curry said. "I'm just happy to be playing. I feel strong. I feel in rhythm, in ultimate control of my game. Shots are falling.
"It all comes not only with my own confidence, but growing confidence in my team."
Defending champion Novak Djokovic survived a stern test after prevailing 6-3 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 against Frances Tiafoe en route to the Australian Open third round.
Tiafoe threatened an upset in warm and sunny conditions at Melbourne Park, where world number one Djokovic was pushed to the limit on Wednesday.
But Djokovic dug deep to prevail in a hard-fought battle, keeping his bid alive for a record-extending ninth Australian Open crown and an 18th grand slam title.
Djokovic had only ever lost in the second round of the Australian Open on one previous occasion - in 2017, when he was upstaged by wildcard Denis Istomin in his earliest Melbourne Park exit since the opening round in 2006.
But Djokovic controlled proceedings initially, despite a blip in the first set against Tiafoe, who enjoyed his best run in Melbourne after reaching the Australian Open quarter-finals two years ago.
After racing out to a 4-1 lead, Djokovic was broken to love in the seventh game as Tiafoe reeled off back-to-back games, only to break back immediately - letting out a thunderous roar before closing out the first set in just over half-an-hour.
Not overawed, Tiafoe refused to go away, rallying from love-40 down and saving three break points in a marathon third game lasting almost eight minutes.
It set the tone for a tense second set as Tiafoe - who saw his winner count rise from five in the opening set to 17 - won a tie-breaker.
Djokovic owned a 15-4 record when splitting the opening two sets at the Australian Open, and 68-16 across majors, and he managed to claim an early break that he consolidated for a 3-0 lead to start the third set.
Tiafoe saved two set points when down 5-4 and he continued to frustrate Djokovic en route to another tie-break, but the latter prevailed, albeit unconvincingly.
The fourth set followed a similar theme until Tiafoe came unstuck at 4-3, Djokovic performing when it mattered most as he secured his passage on the back of a double-fault.
Data Slam: Djokovic dazzles from the service line
The Serbian star was always going to be hard to beat behind a strong serving display. Djokovic fired down 26 aces and won 84 per cent of his first serves, having served sat 62 per cent through the contest.
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Djokovic – 56/37
Tiafoe – 49/43
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Djokovic – 26/5
Tiafoe – 23/8
BREAK POINTS WON
Djokovic – 5/14
Tiafoe – 2/3
Former Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka exited in the second round after a marathon loss to Marton Fucsovics.
Wawrinka, the 2014 champion, bowed out after a 7-5 6-1 4-6 2-6 7-6 (11-9) loss to Fucsovics on a warm Wednesday in Melbourne.
Fucsovics saved three match points on John Cain Arena in an encounter that lasted three hours, 59 minutes.
Wawrinka led 6-1 and 8-4 in the super tie-break, but Fucsovics won the final five points and seven of the last eight.
The Hungarian continues to enjoy the year's first grand slam, where he has reached the fourth round twice in the past three years.
Wawrinka, though, has struggled in Australia in recent years.
The Swiss star has now been eliminated in the second round in three of the past four years, while reaching the quarter-finals in 2020.
Wawrinka rallied from two sets to love down and 5-3 behind in the fifth, but wasted his chances in the super tie-break.
Serena Williams is embracing the absence of line judges at this year's Australian Open as the record-chasing American superstar dubbed herself a "futurist, like Iron Man" after reaching the third round.
The Australian Open is taking place without linespeople as a response to coronavirus restrictions at Melbourne Park, where "Hawk-Eye Live" technology is being used on every court.
It is the first grand slam to replace all line judges with technology as the tournament seeks to limit the number of people on court amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
After easing past Nina Stojanovic 6-3 6-0 on Wednesday, 23-time grand slam champion and seven-time Australian Open winner Williams welcomed the use of technology.
"I like it," Williams, who is looking to equal Margaret Court's record of 24 slams, told reporters when asked about the technology post-match. "I didn't like it in Cincinnati because they had that in Cincinnati and I was, it was different. It was weird.
"I like it now because it takes away a lot of the human error, which clearly I definitely don't need. I should be the biggest fan of that.
"But I feel like sometimes I definitely still want to see that ball, but I'm like, okay, even if I see it, the computer's going to show me what the computer just said. So that's kind of how I think about it.
"I'm a futurist, like Iron Man, so I definitely love technology and it's something that I invest in and so, yeah, I really think is right up my alley."
Williams owns a 359-51 grand slam record in her illustrious career – the only other player to pass 300 victories in the Open Era is Martina Navratilova (306-49).
The 39-year-old Williams is bidding to win her 11th major crown since turning 30.
Only Court (three), Navratilova (three), Chris Evert (two), Billie Jean King (two), Ann Jones (one), Angelique Kerber (one), Li Na (one), Flavia Pennetta (one) and Virginia Wade (one) have won grand slam silverware in their 30s.
Petra Kvitova made a surprise second-round exit at the Australian Open on Wednesday.
The Czech ninth seed and two-time Wimbledon champion fell to Sorana Cirstea 6-4 1-6 6-1 on a warm day at Melbourne Park.
Runner-up in 2019 and a quarter-finalist last year, Kvitova bowed out after a costly 44 unforced errors in two hours, three minutes.
Cirstea, meanwhile, reached the third round of the Australian Open for just the fourth time.
It marked the Romanian's first win over a top-10 player since 2017, when she beat Karolina Pliskova in Beijing.
Cirstea will face another Czech, 19th seed Marketa Vondrousova, in the third round.
Kvitova is among 10 seeds to have departed in the women's draw, joining Victoria Azarenka, Angelique Kerber, Bianca Andreescu, Petra Martic, Johanna Konta, Maria Sakkari, Wang Qiang, Zhang Shuai and Alison Riske.
Serena Williams booked her spot in the Australian Open third round with a straight-sets win over Nina Stojanovic on Wednesday.
Williams again looked in fine form on her way to a 6-3 6-0 victory over Stojanovic in warm conditions on Rod Laver Arena.
The American star is bidding to equal Margaret Court's record of 24 grand slam singles titles and is on track after her win in one hour, nine minutes.
As her serve gradually improved, Williams – who is dealing with a right shoulder injury – was in control for the most part to set up a third-round clash against Anastasia Potapova.
Stojanovic held her own early, but Williams broke for 3-1, a powerful forehand setting up break point before a backhand error from the Serbian.
Williams was struggling with her first serve – she had a first-serve percentage of just 52 in the first set – but dug herself out of a 15-40 hole to hold for 5-2 on her way to taking the opening set.
A break to begin the second set followed as Stojanovic powered a forehand down the line wide, and three consecutive backhand errors saw her cough up another break to fall 3-0 behind.
Williams took complete control from then on, finishing the second set without an unforced error and losing just nine points to quickly wrap up victory.
Data Slam: Williams' second-round dominance continues
Williams improved her record in the second round of majors to 73-2. It also stands at 19-1 at the Australian Open, where she last failed to reach the third round on her debut main-draw appearance in 1998.
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Williams – 27/11
Stojanovic – 15/18
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Williams – 6/1
Stojanovic – 1/4
BREAK POINTS WON
Williams – 4/9
Stojanovic – 0/3
The Los Angeles Clippers will be without Paul George for their upcoming two-game road trip due to injury.
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue confirmed George's absence for games against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Chicago Bills as the NBA All-Star deals with a swollen right toe.
George has been sidelined for the Clippers' past two games.
"Staying back home and getting some treatment," Lue said of George on Tuesday. "And we'll re-evaluate when we get back."
The Clippers face the Timberwolves on Wednesday before visiting the Bulls on Friday.
George is averaging 24.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game for the Clippers this season.
The Clippers (17-8) are third in the Western Conference, behind leaders the Utah Jazz (19-5) and defending champions the Los Angeles Lakers (19-6), following back-to-back losses.
Peter O'Mahony has been banned for the next three rounds of Six Nations games following his red card in Ireland's opening defeat to Wales.
O'Mahony was dismissed in the 14th minute of Ireland's 21-16 loss in Cardiff after leading with his elbow to the head of Tomas Francis while attempting a clearout.
The flanker can now not feature for Ireland again until their final match of the tournament, which sees them host England on March 20.
O'Mahony admitted to dangerous play in the ruck and that his actions merited a red card during a disciplinary hearing.
The disciplinary committee deemed the entry point for his offence to be a six-week ban, but halved that suspension after taking into account O'Mahony's record and conduct in the hearing.
In a statement, Six Nations organisers said: "The committee considered all the relevant evidence, including the player's oral evidence, together with the clips of the incident.
"In assessing the seriousness of the offending, the committee found that the offending was reckless."
Ireland will attempt to bounce back on Sunday when they welcome France to Dublin.
Props Kyle Sinckler and Mako Vunipola have returned to the England squad for the Six Nations encounter with Italy at Twickenham on Saturday.
British and Irish Lions duo Sinckler and Vunipola missed the 11-6 Calcutta Cup defeat to Scotland on the opening day of the tournament due to suspension and an Achilles injury respectively.
They will be available to beef up the defending champions' pack against an Azzurri side smarting from a 50-10 hammering at the hands of a rampant France at Stadio Olimpico.
Harry Williams and Tom West will not feature for Eddie Jones' side after they were released to return to their clubs.
The Red Rose never got going in a poor performance versus dominant Scotland, but they won the tournament last year after losing their opening match to France and number eight Billy Vunipola said they can respond again.
He said: "It is frustrating. I won't lie. But this happened last year, and we managed to pull it back so it's massive for all of us to make sure we get around each other and whatever we need to fix this week we do as soon as possible.
"We only have a week to do it, which is probably the best thing for us. We don't have a fallow week to let that settle in and frustrate us.
"You never really forget these days, you never really forget these moments, and to be honest I don't really want to forget them.
"I want to move on from it, but I don't want to forget it as it keeps you sharp. Losing like this at Twickenham is never what you dream of."
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."
A "calmer" Garbine Muguruza made a fine start at the Australian Open, while defending champion Sofia Kenin was left annoyed despite her victory.
A finalist at the Yarra Valley Classic last week, Muguruza's good form in Melbourne continued with a rampant 6-4 6-0 victory over Margarita Gasparyan in the first round on Tuesday.
Muguruza was runner-up at Melbourne Park last year, with the two-time grand slam winner looking for her first major success since 2017.
The Spanish star, who will face Ludmilla Samsonova in the second round, said she was reaping the benefits of a changed approach.
"I was for sure working very hard, and frustrated that the results weren't there for quite a few months. Sometimes you work hard, you want it so much, that doesn't help you," Muguruza said.
"It's hard to explain, but I felt like for a moment I was working hard, I was putting all the effort out there. The time that I had to go and compete, I wanted it too much. I was getting frustrated too early. At the end I couldn't let the racquet talk.
"I feel like now, after that experience, I managed to stay a little bit calmer and to just go and compete, probably have less expectations. I'm always, like, there and always so pumped. I'm just knowing myself a little bit better now, finding ways to compete and not let that energy and that desire, too much desire, get in the way probably."
It was a relatively good day for the top women's seeds, with Kenin – who conquered Muguruza in last year's final – winning through.
Ash Barty, Elina Svitolina, Karolina Pliskova and Belinda Bencic also advanced, while Victoria Azarenka's poor recent record in Melbourne continued.
KENIN ANNOYED DESPITE WIN
Kenin started her title defence with a 7-5 6-4 victory over Australian Maddison Inglis.
But while the American fourth seed mixed 23 winners with 27 unforced errors, Kenin said she felt her nerves as she defends a major crown for the first time.
"I was obviously quite annoyed the whole match. I felt like the first two points I started off well, then wasn't able to close out the first game. Obviously nerves happen," she said.
"She obviously played really well. She's a tricky opponent, tricky player. Yeah, it was quite hard on myself today, quite annoyed, as you said."
Kenin's next clash is a tough encounter against Kaia Kanepi, who brushed past Anastasija Sevastova 6-3 6-1.
BARTY, SVITOLINA AND PLISKOVA AMONG WINNERS
Barty made a spectacular start with a 6-0 6-0 thrashing of Danka Kovinic.
The world number one won the first 16 points and ended up losing just 10 for the match in an impressive start.
A two-time quarter-finalist at the Australian Open, Svitolina was tested but overcame Marie Bouzkova 6-3 7-6 (7-5) on Rod Laver Arena.
A huge challenge awaits Svitolina, who will next face Coco Gauff after the 16-year-old American beat Jil Teichmann 6-3 6-2.
Czech sixth seed Pliskova made quick work of Jasmine Paolini, wrapping up a 6-0 6-2 victory in just 47 minutes.
Bencic and Anett Kontaveit were among the other seeded winners.
NO EXCUSES FOR AZARENKA
A two-time Australian Open champion, Azarenka suffered a surprise 7-5 6-4 loss to Jessica Pegula in the first round.
The Belarusian's last win at the event came in 2016, having made first-round exits in 2019 and 2021 and missed the tournament in 2017, 2018 and 2020.
Azarenka was among the players forced to quarantine ahead of the major and while she said it played a part in her exit, she offered no excuses.
"Of course, it has impacted. Somebody who's coming out of hard quarantine and maybe has been able to adjust well, they'll go, 'Oh, maybe it hasn't impacted'. Somebody who lost early will say, 'Yeah, of course, it's impacted'. It would be hard to say," she said.
"Was that the best preparation for me? No. But try to sit here and find an excuse because of quarantine and this is just something that, as I said, it is what it is.
"I am disappointed that I wasn't able to perform that I knew I could. That's a bit hard to accept today because I knew I can play better, a lot better. At the same time I feel that I've tried everything I can to be able to be prepared, but unfortunately that hasn't worked out for me."
Greek 20th seed Maria Sakkari also bowed out after a loss to Kristina Mladenovic, while British 13th seed Johanna Konta retired injured while leading Kaja Juvan 6-4 0-2.
Ash Barty made an impressive start to the Australian Open, thrashing Danka Kovinic in the first round on Tuesday.
Barty, who last year became the first Australian woman to reach the semi-finals of the tournament since Wendy Turnbull in 1984, hammered Kovinic 6-0 6-0 on Rod Laver Arena.
Winner of last week's Yarra Valley Classic, Barty won the first 16 points against Kovinic and never looked back.
The world number one wrapped up victory in just 44 minutes, finishing the contest having lost only 10 points.
Kovinic's unforced errors piled up early – the Montenegrin made 14 in the first set – as 2019 French Open champion Barty quickly took control and the opener.
There was a very brief test for Barty to begin the second set, but the Australian was untroubled as Kovinic had no answers.
Barty will meet either Daria Gavrilova or Sara Sorribes Tormo in the second round.
Data Slam: Barty blitz sets up win
Barty made an incredible start, racing into a 4-0 lead without dropping a point. Her hopes of a golden set were ended when she sent a backhand long, but the start put her in immediate control.
WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS
Barty – 10/5
Kovinic – 3/28
ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS
Barty – 5/0
Kovinic – 2/2
BREAK POINTS WON
Barty – 6/8
Kovinic – 0/0
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