RIO DE JANEIRO: With white tape protecting the left wrist that sidelined him for more than two months, Rafael Nadal won his first Olympic match since winning a gold medal at Beijing in 2008.
The Spaniard, who hadn't played at all since withdrawing from the French Open in May because of a wrist tendon injury, moved into the second round at the Rio de Janeiro Games with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Argentina's Federico Delbonis on Sunday.
Nadal appeared a tad tentative in the early going but eventually displayed confidence with his heavy-topspin lefty forehand and produced half of his 14 winners with that stroke.
The 14-time major champion played cleanly, making only 15 unforced errors. Delbonis made 31.
When the match ended, Nadal threw an uppercut and yelled "Vamos!"
He was the Olympic champion eight years ago, but missed the 2012 London Games because of knee problems.