Rafael Nadal made a grand comeback with Melbourne Summer Set Trophy after his injury hiatus. He defeated American qualifier, Maxime Cressy, 7-6(6), 6-3, and clinched the Melbourne Summer Set trophy on Sunday.
Read also: Davis Cup 2022: India to host Denmark in World Group I play-offs in March
This was Nadal's first match after injuring his foot in August. He was phenomenal in the last match and did not drop a single set at the ATP 250 event and won his 89th tour-level crown.
The Spaniard said during the trophy ceremony, "I want to thank all the organization here. I feel privileged and a very lucky guy to be here again. I am coming back from some challenging moments in terms of injuries, so I can't be happier. It means a lot to be back and with a trophy in my hands."
He further added, "This court has always been very, very special for me. The Rod Laver Arena is very, very special for everyone and it is more special because of you guys. You guys are a great crowd and I can't thank you enough."
Also, this was Cressy's first tour-level final after great wins against second seed Reilly Opelka and third seed Grigor Dimitrov. Interestingly, Cressy is going to be a part of the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday.