It's almost as if he was never away. Rafael Nadal is back and on song, and he demonstrated that again with a straight-sets victory against Australia's Jason Kubler on Thursday, January 4, 2024 at Brisbane International - a tune-up tournament for the upcoming Australian Open.?(More Tennis News)

The convincing 6-1, 6-2 win took Nadal into the quarter-finals, where will take on another Australian Jordon Thompson.?

That Nadal was in full flow was illustrated by multiple instances on court. One was the way he pounced on Kubler's second serve, which reflected in the Aussie winning merely 25 percent of those points.

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It was more colourfully depicted in a signature moment, wherein Nadal dispatched a lob with a trademark reverse smash for a thrilling winner. The point sent the spectators as well as online viewers in raptures. You can watch the delightful shot in the video below.?

Earlier, on Wednesday, Nadal made his return to elite tennis, a whole 349 days after he last played. The 37-year-old set aside familiar foe Dominic Thiem in their round of 32 clash with a dismissive scoreline of 7-5, 6-1.

The Spanish southpaw was away for almost a year with a hip injury. Before Brisbane International, Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam singles champion, last played in the second round of the Australian Open in January, and eventually decided to have surgery on his troublesome hip in June. ?