French Open 2019: Rafael Nadal begins with commanding win

The Spaniard produced a typically ruthless display in the 6-2 6-1 6-3 win, although he had to swat away four break points in his opening service game. The win takes his record in Paris to 87-2.

On paper, it seems Nadal will face little resistance until the semi-finals, with seventh seed Kei Nishikori the biggest threat in his quarter.

Roger Federer, who marked his return to the tournament with victory on Sunday, could await in the last four – although it remains to be seen whether he can cope with the demands of best-of-five on clay.

Another German, Yannick Maden, awaits Nadal in the second round.

"I was very, very impressed with the way he is hitting the ball. He always brings such an intensity out on to any match court. Regardless of whether he playing a qualifier or someone much lower-ranked, he just gives them the same respect levels every single time. I thought the forehand was as devastating as ever.

"What’s so interesting when you see that forehand is that he will vary the height and make things uncomfortable. But almost more impressive was the backhand, we were talking a lot about the improvement last year – sometimes flattening out the ball, the ability to get the angles as well. It is vastly improved. There didn’t seem to be any problem in terms of his movement, we saw a bit of everything."