The diminutive 34-year-old disposed of Australian teenager Omar Jasika comfortably 6-3 6-0 6-2 in Hisense arena.

Ferrer was not shying away from the fact rankings matter to him, as he currently sits at No.21 in the world. His highest world ranking was third in 2013 when he was runner-up in the French Open.

Now the Spaniard is eyeing success and wants to win a grand slam before his time is up.

“I try to enjoy every day, enjoy the moment," Ferrer said after the Jasika win. "I am No.21 in the world and it’s the first grand slam of the year.

“I’m happy with myself and I know I’ll be focused for the next match. I’m not thinking if I’ll come back or not.

“Rankings are very important, I am going step by step, concentration for my next match, when we finish the year we’ll see the ranking and we’ll see about everything.

“My body is good, at the moment it’s good. I don’t have any big injuries and I hope I’ll be healthy.

“It’s very important to rest, with my age at 34 and I know I can’t practice a lot like two or three ago… It’s normal, I know that. I had more pain and I’m trying to take and learn from this experience.”

While Ferrer was content with winning his first game, he was already thinking about the next match.

He has has enjoyed making the semi-final of the Australian Open twice in 2011 and 2013 and was loving the “quiet” vibe of Melbourne’s Grand Slam.

“It’s very nice here. It’s summer so it’s an important date for everybody,” he said.

“People are enjoying and also the tennis players… it’s the first grand slam of the year. For me to come back one more year, I hope I’ll play a few more years in Australia.

“Tomorrow is going to be a new day, but of course I’m happy because it’s the second round. Played a good game, very consistent and it’s important for my confidence in winning three sets. Tomorrow I have one day to rest and tomorrow I will think about my next opponent.”