The impact new coach Carlos Moya is having on Rafa Nadal - on and off the court

It has always been Rafa and Toni. Under his uncle’s guidance, Nadal was won 14 Grand Slam titles.

The last of those came in 2014, with injuries hampering the Spaniard’s bid to overtake Roger Federer’s record total of 17.

And at the age of 30, Nadal has introduced friend and fellow countryman Moya to the fold – with his dominant display over Mayer showing glimpses of what we can expect.

Speaking after his 6-3 6-4 6-4 victory on the second day in Melbourne, Nadal was quick to insist that Moya’s addition was far from a 'change', stating:

“He was a very important person earlier in my career, someone who I was able to practice a lot with when he was at the top,” he added.

“For me it was a great help, and to have him on the bench with Toni and the team is something that makes me feel happy. I’m excited for 2017.”

Happiness, quite clearly. And having reached the milestone of 30, perhaps Nadal feels the need to take on tennis from a new angle. At five years his senior, Federer has shown there is plenty of life left in the veterans on Tour.

The stats against Mayer suggest Nadal will be bolder in 2017.

Discounting his five-set loss to Lucas Pouille at last year’s US Open, comparing this recent three-set victory over Mayer to his previous three in Grand Slams shows how Nadal is now out to attack – even more so than ever.

Nadal v Mayer: Winners – 39. Unforced errors – 31. (1st Round Aus Open 2017 6-3 6-4 6-4)

Nadal v Kuznetsov: Winners 22. Unforced errors – 19. (3rd Round US Open 2016 6-1 6-4 6-2)

Nadal v Seppi: Winners – 23. Unforced errors – 28. (2nd Round US Open 6-0 7-5 6-1)

Nadal v Istomin: Winners 21. Unforced errors – 27. (1st Round US Open 6-1 6-4 6-2)

More winners, but more errors. But mistakes are made when the boundaries are pushed.

39 winners in 29 games against Mayer is a significant increase on those previous three outings, and if Nadal can maintain this positivity, he will continue to delight the crowds for years to come.