Stan Wawrinka's troublesome knee has survived a stern Australian Open test, with the Swiss star winning his first competitive match on tour in six months.
The ninth seed, who was late to declare his fitness for the grand slam he won in 2014, battled his way past Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis in a 6-3 6-4 2-6 7-6 (7-2) first-round victory on Tuesday.
"It's never easy for an athlete to be out of the tour, struggling to come back," the former world No.3 said.
"I was suffering a lot during the rehabilitation and fitness-wise ... without a doubt.
"I'm proud to be back already and honestly to win today it's an honour."
But Wawrinka, still feeling knee pain after last year's surgery, didn't have it all his own way, dropping seven consecutive games and berating Berankis' box for talking during his service motion in a mid-match mini meltdown.
After falling behind in the fourth set, Wawrinka - who hasn't played since his first-round exit at Wimbledon in July - forced a tiebreaker before running away with it.
Despite his brief lapse, the 32-year-old's trademark backhand was on song and he moved well, regularly chasing down balls throughout the two-hour-and-47-minute affair on Hisense Arena.
After the draining four-set win, Wawrinka revealed just how close he came to pulling out of the Melbourne Park tournament.
"It was a last-minute decision for sure," he said.
"I come here without really knowing what will happen in the week."
The veteran will meet unseeded American Tennys Sandgren, a straight-sets winner against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, in the second round.
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