Pablo Andujar relishes first win in two years

While some players like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are used to winning that their first-round matches (with ease) for some the joy of simply winning a match will never grow old.

For 32-year-old Spaniard Pablo Andujar, it was impossible not to be overcome with the rawest of emotion after winning his first ATP tour-level match in over two years.

After over a year of injuries and struggling to regain his form, Andujar, a semifinalist at the Rio Open in 2014, picked up his first win since Doha in 2016. The veteran defeated Austria’s Gerald Melzer 7-5, 6-2 in the first round in Rio.

Andujar, currently ranked No. 1,821 in the world, endured three elbow surgeries between March of 2016 and April of 2017 before finally returning to the tour in Pune to start the 2018 season.

Unfortunately, injuries are not over for Andujar. A hip injury forced him to retire from his second round match in Rio against Dominic Thiem, while down 4-2 in the opening set.

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