PARIS — Four-time champion Rafael Nadal began his quest to wrest back the French Open title by dismissing Gianni Mina of France 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 on Tuesday.
Nadal struggled at times with his serve before extending his record to 32-1 at Roland Garros.
The Spaniard, who was upset by Robin Soderling in the fourth round last year while struggling with knee tendinitis, committed 28 unforced errors and had to save nine break points against the 655th-ranked Mina.
“I feel good, this is the most important thing for a sportsman,” Nadal said. “I went through bad moments last year.”
Nadal is unbeaten on clay this year, having won titles at Monte Carlo, Rome and Madrid.
Mina, who was making his Grand Slam debut after making the boy’s tournament final last year, made Nadal work hard on his serve but repeatedly failed to come up with results on his break points.
Earlier, Justine Henin took a big step in her return from retirement by beating Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria 6-4, 6-3 in her first-round match.
The match was Henin’s first on centre court at Roland Garros since 2007, when she won the tournament for the fourth time.
“I didn’t know really what to expect and how I was going to deal with my emotions,” the Belgian said. “As I walked in and I was into my match, I felt a lot of things were coming back. It was just fantastic to share this again with the crowd, as they gave me one more time great support. So it was very good to be back.”
Henin rejoined the tour in January following a 20-month retirement, and while she’s seeded only 22nd, she’s considered one of the favourites for the title.
“She has all of the chances to win this tournament,” said Pironkova, who is now 0-4 lifetime against Henin.
“She still plays great. I don’t think she lost (anything) with that rest that she had. I think she is playing even better. She’s faster, and her strokes are more secure.”