DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — World number one Rafael Nadal celebrated the New Year with a long-awaited atonement and a resolution to win a uniquely elusive title.

The top-seeded Spaniard’s 6-2, 7-6 (9/7) win against Lukas Rosol, a Czech who upset him sensationally in the second round of Wimbledon 2012, carried him into the second round of the Qatar Open yesterday.

This is the only ATP World Tour tournament which Nadal has failed in five attempts to win.

Nadal insisted, however, revenge was far from his mind despite celebrating the win with an extravagant air punch.

“I never take revenge,” he said. “Thinking about revenge is a bad way to start a match, in my opinion.”

There were moments when it seemed Rosol’s strident style might again prove disruptive for Nadal, especially in a second set in which the top seed repeatedly had to summon his fighting qualities against the world number 47.

Rosol earned two break points in the third game of that set, another break point in the fifth game, and another in the ninth, which he converted with some heavy drives that forced Nadal to counter-hit a backhand into the net.

Earlier Wimbledom champion Andy Murray needed only 37 minutes to win his first match in four months on the ATP World Tour.

Murray was a 6-0, 6-0 winner against Qatar’s Mousa Zayed, in his comeback from surgery on a back injury which also caused pain in his leg and foot.

Murray next plays Florian Mayer, the world number 40 from Germany, and could be headed for a quarter-final with Fernando Verdasco, the eighth-seeded Spaniard.