Watch: Rafael Nadal reveals what playing at Madrid Open means to him this year

Rafael Nadal made a winning start at the Madrid Open on Thursday, beating 16-year-old American Darwin Blanch 6-1, 6-0 in the first round.

Nadal, who is competing in his third event of the year, took just 64 minutes to get past Blanch - a player 21 years and 117 days his junior.

Five-time former Madrid champion Nadal will face Alex de Minaur - who he lost to in Barcelona last week - in the second round.

Speaking after the win, Nadal elaborated on how he prevailed over Blanch, 'Today I played against an opponent with a great future in front (of him), but today he's still making mistakes. So I just tried to be there, be solid all the time without taking a lot of risks and (it) worked well. So just happy to be through and (I) wish him all the best for the future.'

The 37-year-old is playing the Madrid Open for the last time in his career, 'For me, after how things... developed in the last few years, every time that I had a chance to be on court, on this amazing stadium with... unconditionally supportive crowd. It means a lot to me. So I'm just trying to enjoy every moment. And tomorrow, one more day of practice here and after tomorrow again on court. So that makes me feel great.'