'Not the only one': Rafa Nadal's truth bomb in Novak Djokovic saga

Rafa Nadal started off his Australian Open campaign with an emphatic victory and following the match he opened up about the Novak Djokovic saga.

Nadal carried on his strong form from the Melbourne Summer Set 1 final to defeat American Marcos Giron in straight sets 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena.

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After the match, it was inevitable Nadal was going to be asked about Djokovic and the visa saga that saw him deported ahead of the his Australian Open defence.

Nadal has remained rather diplomatic during his responses to the saga that overshadowed the lead-up to the Aus Open and again the Spaniard said it would be best for the 20-time grand slam champ to be competing.

"The ideal situation in the world of sport (is) that the best players are on court and playing the most important events, without a doubt," Nadal told reporters.

"If Novak Djokovic is playing here, it's better for everybody, no doubt about that."

However, Nadal then dropped the line that Djokovic probably wasn't the only person to have done the wrong thing.

"I think the situation has been a mess," Nadal added.

"He’s not the only one that did probably the things bad in that case.

"So on a personal level, yes, I would like to see him playing here.

"If it's fair or not that he’s playing here is another discussion that I don’t want to talk anymore about that."

Rafa Nadal stuns with insane shot

Nadal wasted little time getting into gear as he dismantled American Giron in the opening set.

The 35-year-old converted his first break point in the fourth game, with a moment of magic that left commentators and viewers in awe.

Giron looked to have the sixth seed's measure when he met a defensive backhand from Nadal with a sharp forehand volley at the net.

However, Nadal showed insane court coverage to chase down the shot and conjure an extraordinary flicked backhand winner from a tight angle.

The Spaniard dropped just the one game as he cruised through the opening stanza in less than 25 minutes.

The second set was a much closer affair as the 20-time grand slam champion's American opponent began to find his rhythm.

Giron - the 28-year-old late bloomer to tennis who had his best-ever year in 2021 - pushed Nadal but couldn't find a way to overturn the World No.7's break in the opening game of the set.

The third set followed a similar pattern as the Spaniard consolidated his early break to open up another handy lead in the third.

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