CNN
—
Rafael Nadal’s Australian Open Wednesday’s title defense ended prematurely after a 4-6, 4-6, 5-7 loss to American Mackenzie McDonald in the second round.
36 years old Nadal He suffered a left hip injury during the match and required treatment during the second set at Rod Laver Arena.
He managed to finish the match, eventually arriving at McDonald’s in 2 hours and 32 minutes, his first Grand Slam ejection since the 2016 Australian Open.
“I didn’t want to retire. [as] Here are the defending champions. He didn’t want to leave the court in his retirement,” Nadal told reporters.
“It’s better to end like this. Lost, don’t say anything, congratulations [my] partner. It’s also a sport, and you just have to do your best until the end. ”
McDonald got off to a fast start to the match when he broke Nadal’s serve in the opening game.
He then did the same in the second set, dominating the contest with consistent, powerful striking from the baseline.
Nadal, who was looking to break the men’s record of 22 Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open, left the court for a medical timeout at 5-3 in the second set.
The Spaniard clearly struggled in the third set, but still served to 5-5.
But then McDonald got the upper hand and secured the decisive break on a backhand pass shot, with both players reaching the net.
In the next game, he closed out the contest when Nadal dropped a backhand return into the net for the biggest win of the 27-year-old’s career.
Without a tournament seed, McDonald’s has the best chance of finishing at a Grand Slam to date if he can beat Dalibor Svrucina or Yoshihito Nishioka in the third round.
“he [Nadal] “He’s an incredible champion,” McDonald said in an on-court interview.
“I was trying to stay focused on what I was doing. He took me out of my rhythm with it, but I’m glad I finally stayed focused on myself and got over it.”
After the match, Nadal said he would undergo treatment to determine the exact nature and extent of his injuries.
“If it’s a muscle, if it’s a joint, if it’s cartilage, it’s a tough decision to make… let’s see how the injury goes. Then let’s see how we can follow the calendar,” he told reporters.
