Australian Open: The world No. 65 American Mackenzie McDonald defeated Rafael Nadal, ending his Australian Open defence early. 6-4 6-4 7-5.
The top seed was already in jeopardy when he knelt down in obvious pain while gripping his left hip after chasing out wide for a forehand against unseeded McDonald.
Nadal stumbled through the rest of the game before asking the trainer for assistance and leaving the court.
Even though the Spaniard was limping and his wife Maria was sobbing in the stands, he decided to continue playing.
McDonald would ultimately find a way through and he promptly completed the triumph, despite the fact that Nadal was able to hold his serve until the 11th game and was encouraged by spectators who still believed he may somehow turn things around.
Nadal claimed that his hip issue from earlier in the match significantly deteriorated.
“There have been a few days like this, but nothing like today in that movement,” he said. We’ll start talking about that right away, but I have no idea what’s wrong—if it’s a muscle or a joint.
“I’m hip-deep in history. In the past, I had to undergo therapies and deal with it somewhat, but the issue was not as severe. Now, I feel immobile.
Australian Open: ‘I gave it my best shot.’
“Even if I have a better chance of winning the game under ideal conditions, I’m not sure. But in the end, that’s all. Trying my best. It was not possible.
“That’s another one in terms of sports, injuries, and terrible times,” the 36-year-old continued. It would be a lie for me to say that I am not now mentally ill.
“I hope it’s nothing too serious. In terms of practice, it has been a successful three weeks overall. Since it will be difficult to make the recovery again, I sincerely hope that this won’t keep me away from the court for an extended period of time.”
When Nadal thought his career might be ended due to a chronic foot issue, it was a really sad way for him to quit the tournament a year later. There must be genuine doubts about whether he will play at Melbourne Park again.
Following an abdominal strain that caused him to withdraw from Wimbledon before the semi-finals, he went on to win a 22nd Grand Slam championship at the French Open the previous year. However, since then, he has struggled.
Despite eking out a four-set victory, Nadal was well below par going into his first-round match against Britain’s Jack Draper, who had lost six of his previous seven matches.
The same was true early on in the match against McDonald, a 27-year-old player ranked 65th who was trying to defeat a top-five player at a Grand Slam.
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