In the first round match against Borna Coric, there were signs, often enough, of that old, near-unstoppable Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard will hope his old form returns in full flight come Wednesday, when Nadal plays Diego Schwartzman in the second round of the US Open 2015.
Nadal is having his worst year in a long, long time on the professional circuit, with those injuries coming back to haunt the 14-time Grand Slam winner.
The former world number one was pretty good against the seriously talented Coric, even if he lost his mojo a little bit in the third set during the 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 victory.
"I think I played great," Nadal said after the four-set win on Monday. "The first two sets I played a very high level of tennis.
"Seriously, then I get a little bit tired. I had some problems. I was sweating a lot. I lost little bit. I don't feel enough strong after that. I had little bit of stomach problem so I felt not perfect, physically perfect then.
"But then in the fourth, I recovered little bit. I played again more aggressive. Finally, what was important was victory for me. Happy the way that I played when I was physically good."
The only way to get out of the mire he finds himself in is by playing for as long as possible in these Grand Slams, and Nadal, who missed his title defence last year, owing to those never-really-goes-away injuries, will hope for a smooth ride against the Argentinian Schwartzman.
"It's so great to be back in New York, it is a tournament I like a lot," Nadal added. "Atmosphere here is just amazing. The crowd, I feel the love of the crowd and the energy of them, so I enjoy a lot.
"Seriously, I had a great week of practice before the tournament start. I don't know how it going to go, but I practiced at a very high level of tennis during the previous weeks. Something that was tough to arrive to that level at practice the rest of the season.
"That gives me calm. That gives me confidence. I know if I'm able to keep having that feeling, I don't know here, I don't know in next tournaments, but I will have the success again. I will have the feeling that I can compete against everybody with good conditions."
Where to Watch Live
Get the Final Score and Quotes of Nadal HERE
Rafael Nadal vs Diego Schwartzman is the third match scheduled at the Louis Armstrong Stadium, with the first match, Mardy Fish vs Feliciano Lopez, starting at 11 am local time (8.30 pm IST, 4 pm BST). Live coverage of the second round action will be on Ten Sports in India, with the live streaming online option on Ten Sports Live.
UK viewers can catch the match action live on Sky Sports, while the live stream option is on Sky Go. Audience in Australia can watch Nadal live on Fox Sports, while the second round of the US Open 2015 can also be live streamed on Foxtel Play.
Viewers in the US can catch US Open 2015 second round on Wednesday live on ESPN, while the live streaming option is on Watch ESPN.
