• Nadal and Djokovic start new season with satisfying victories• ‘I managed to kind of weather the storm,’ says Serbian
It has been six weeks since
Rafael Nadal dragged
Spain through eight singles and doubles wins in five days to Davis Cup victory in Madrid. Such a transcendent effort from a 33-year-old after becoming the oldest ever ATP year-end No 1 was deserving of a long rest, but there is no such thing as rest in tennis.
In Saturday’s ATP Cup action, both Nadal and
Novak Djokovic returned in the new season with satisfying victories. Djokovic was resolute in his 7-6 (5), 7-6 (6) win over Kevin Anderson to secure Serbia’s 3-0 win over
South Africa and Nadal followed with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Nikoloz Basilashvili to clinch a 3-0 win for Spain over Georgia.