A year ago, it was Fernando Verdasco who sent Rafael Nadal packing here in the first round.

This year, at the age of 30, Nadal finds himself on the cusp of all kinds of history. The biggest of the big-picture items: Later this spring, can he win an unprecedented 10th title at Roland Garros?

The first major step in 2017 was a positive one, with Nadal handling Florian Mayer in the first round, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

“For me, this is a great victory,” Nadal said in his on-court interview, according to australianopen.com.

The 2016 season was a forgettable one for Nadal, beginning with a first-round loss here. Later there was an early, injury-induced exit at the French Open and a failure to play at Wimbledon.

“I am very happy to keep having chances to play here in Melbourne,” Nadal said according to australianopen.com.

After a month of intense work at his home in Mallorca, Nadal pronounced his wrist fit in Jan. 2017 and won two of three matches in Brisbane before falling to No. 3-ranked Milos Raonic.

Raonic, seeded third in Melbourne, opened with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win over Dustin Brown. Raonic reached the semifinals in Australia last year and the final at Wimbledon.

The match against Mayer for Nadal, amid blistering hot conditions, was intriguing because the two had met twice previously, with each winning once. This time, Mayer couldn’t even manage a single break point.

Before the tournament, Nadal was asked if he was finally pain-free after a long rehabilitation program.

“I am not injured, pain-free is a long time ago,” Nadal said according to espn.com.