Rafael Nadal has revealed that his comfortable victory over Mikhail Youzhny has given him a vital confidence boost heading into the remainder of his Australian Open campaign.

The Spaniard was eager to play down his chances of competing for the title before the tournament after a long battle with injuries and illness, but he showed no signs of rust as he stormed to a 6-3 6-2 6-2 triumph over a powerless Youzhny in Melbourne.

"Always before the first match you always have the doubts, especially in this situation I'm arriving here. Never easy, but it was an important match for me. Every match is very important for me today. Was a comfortable victory that give me some confidence," Nadal told reporters.

"You cannot play with the right confidence, with the right competitive spirit, because you need to feel that. All the practices, you don't get that. The only way to get that, you know, is having matches.

"That's why this victory today is very important, and every time that I am on court competing is a big help for me to try to be back on the right level that I want to be."

Nadal will take on Tim Smyczek in the second round.