"And that's what I did, I just pushed through a bit of stiffness, and then I felt like it loosened up nicely and I was OK."
He next faces another German, Rainer Schuettler, who he beat in the final two years ago, but has since slipped to 40th in the rankings.
"I think it certainly speaks to the quality of men's tennis," Agassi said. "I'm just going to have to step up and play my game."
Serena Slam
The biggest problem for Williams, who completed a "Serena Slam" with a victory in Melbourne in 2003, but missed last year's first Grand Slam because of a knee injury, came when the seventh-seeded American's right shoe came off at deuce in the second game and skidded behind the baseline. Williams laced up the shoe and won the point when it was replayed.
A double-fault on the first point of the match was simply a sign of a nervous start, she said.
"But after the first game, I was OK. I thought if I just get the first game, then I'll be all right. I think that's just first-round nerves."
After failing to win a major last season, Williams said she's one of the main contenders in a wide-open draw at Melbourne Park.
"I definitely wouldn't be here if I didn't think so; I'd rather stay home," she said. "My goals are pretty much just to win my matches. I think Grand Slams will come with it."
Sania Mirza beat Australia's Cindy Watson 3-6, 6-3, 6-0 to become only the second Indian woman ever to win a main draw match in a Grand Slam.
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