Nadal begins post-Toni era with new set of challenges

By winning the French and US Open titles last year, Rafael Nadal showed that talk of his demise had been exaggerated.

Still, he faces a battle to repeat those feats without his uncle and lifelong coach Toni, while also fighting familiar injury troubles.

Nadal returns to the Australian Open, where he lost a thrilling five-set final to perennial rival Roger Federer in 2017, after overcoming chronic knee problems just in time.