Played in hot and humid conditions on Pat Rafter Arena, the Spanish great took 1hr 23 min to see off Kubler, who battled hard but didn't have the weapons to trouble the 22-time Grand Slam champion.
Nadal, 37, has not played on tour since suffering an injury at the 2023 Australian Open a year ago, resulting in two surgeries on his hip.
He said leading into the tournament he had no expectations for the Australian summer.
But the form he showed against former US Open champion Dominic Thiem in the... Читать дальше...