Melbourne, Australia ? Rafael Nadal’s quest to complete his “Rafa Slam” at the Australian Open started with a first-round victory that lasted only 47 minutes and helped conserve plenty of energy.

Nadal led 6-0, 5-0 when his Brazilian opponent Marcos Daniel retired because of a left knee injury today.

The 24-year-old Spaniard sympathized with Daniel. Nadal retired from the last Australian Open due to an injured knee in a quarterfinal loss to Andy Murray. But he recovered quickly and won the next three majors and is now aiming to be the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four Grand Slam trophies at the same time.

“It’s terrible feeling, for sure. I wish him all the best for a fast recovery,” Nadal said after the match. “Last year was a really difficult time when I played this tournament. I came back here playing well … but to go out like that was hard mentally.

“Finally, I had a very good season in 2010.”

Hoping a third time will be luckier, Vera Zvonareva began her bid to reach a third consecutive Grand Slam final with a commanding 6-2, 6-1 victory over Sybille Bammer in the opening match today on Rod Laver Arena.

Nadal’s easy run to the second round came the day after his chief rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic got their campaigns started with straight-sets wins on Monday.