Nadal

2023 - 1 - 18

Post cover — Image courtesy of "Reuters"

Ailing defending champion Nadal bows out of Australian Open (Reuters)

Defending champion Rafa Nadal bowed out of the second round of the Australian Open on Wednesday after suffering an injury during his 6-4 6-4 7-5 defeat by ...

Nadal rushed the net in a desperate last stand but there was to be no repeat of the "Miracle of Melbourne", when he came back from two sets down in last year's classic final to beat Daniil Medvedev. McDonald took the second set when Nadal whacked a forehand into the net, and the Spaniard thudded his racket into his chair at the change of ends. His gloomy expression told the story, though, and he declined to retrieve a drop-shot in the next game, shaking his head at his entourage. In the 2018 Australian Open, Nadal was forced to retire in the fifth set from his quarter-final against Marin Cilic while trailing 3-6 6-3 6-7(5) 6-2 2-0 because of a hip injury. He returned grim-faced to play out the match but his movement was clearly affected, particularly on his backhand side, paving the way for McDonald to end the Spaniard's bid for a third title at Melbourne Park. Nadal tweaked his left hip while running for a backhand in the second set at Rod Laver Arena, and after inspection from a trainer when trailing 6-4 5-3, he went off-court for a medical time-out.

Top-Seeded Rafael Nadal Loses at Australian Open After Injury (The New York Times)

Nadal, who has won 22 Grand Slams, lost in the second round to Mackenzie McDonald, an American who has never cracked the Top 40 in the world rankings.

Nadal will likely take a break to get healthy again, then, if he can, turn his focus to the spring clay-court season and the French Open. At other moments of disappointment, Nadal has been able to appear philosophical, expressing thanks for the good fortune of his life. Nadal arrived in Australia in December to play for Spain in the inaugural United Cup, a rare competition with both men and women. He also has had to adjust to fatherhood after the birth of his first child, a son, in October. Tiafoe was the first American-born player to beat Nadal at a Grand Slam in nearly two decades. He quickly returned to form and won the final in Melbourne after being two sets down against Daniil Medvedev of Russia. Before the injury, McDonald stood on the baseline and beat Nadal at his own game, meeting Nadal’s power and topspin with his own flatter version of it, curling forehands just above the net and sending Nadal chasing the ball from corner to corner. [Carlos Alcaraz](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/06/sports/tennis/carlos-alcaraz-australian-open.html?action=click&pgtype=Article&state=default&module=styln-australian-open&variant=show®ion=MAIN_CONTENT_1&block=storyline_top_links_recirc), [Naomi Osaka](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/08/sports/tennis/naomi-osaka-withdraws-australian-open.html?action=click&pgtype=Article&state=default&module=styln-australian-open&variant=show®ion=MAIN_CONTENT_1&block=storyline_top_links_recirc)and [Nick Kyrgios](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/16/sports/tennis/nick-kyrgios-australian-open.html?action=click&pgtype=Article&state=default&module=styln-australian-open&variant=show®ion=MAIN_CONTENT_1&block=storyline_top_links_recirc)have all pulled out of the tournament. Down one set and on the ropes against Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of the Australian Open on Wednesday, Nadal injured his hip while chasing down a shot in the eighth game of the second set. Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz beat Nadal later in the fall in other tournaments, when the Spaniard was trying to return late in the season from an abdominal injury. Knowing his day and his tournament were all but done, he watched two aces blaze by, bringing him to the brink of going down two-sets-to-love against McDonald, a 27-year-old American who has never cracked the Top 40 in the world rankings. He somehow stayed even with McDonald through the first 10 games of the second set, hobbling around, taking wild cuts to try to end points quickly.

Rafael Nadal On Australian Open Injury: 'Sometimes It's Difficult To ... (ATP Tour)

Rafael Nadal reflects on his Australian Open injury and loss to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of the year's first Grand Slam.

“I think during the match every time I was a little bit closer and was understanding better the things that I had to do to overcome the situation. “I was not able to hit the backhand at all. I was not able to run for the ball. “But I don't know 'til I do the test and all this stuff, I don't know. That's the philosophy of the sport. “I have history in the hip that I had issues. “That's the sport at the same time. “I considered all the time stopping, but I didn't ask the physiotherapist at the end. I had to do treatments in the past, address a little. It's all the amount of work that you need to put together to come back at a decent level.” So I really hope that [this] doesn't put me out of the court for a long time, because then it's tough to make all the recovery again. From there, the match was the American’s for the taking, and take it McDonald did by a 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 margin.

Injured Rafael Nadal Out Of Australian Open After Loss To ... (Forbes)

Nadal appeared to be hampered by an injury he picked up in the game's second set.

Djokovic, who has won a record nine Australian Open titles, was unable to defend his crown last year after being dramatically deported from Australia over his Covid vaccination status. When you do things that you like to do, at the end of the day, it's not a sacrifice.” That is the total number of singles Grand Slam titles that Rafael Nadal has won in his career, more than any other player in men’s tennis history. His last two titles came at 2022’s Australian and French Opens. I like to fight for the things that I have been fighting for almost half of my life or even more. Top seed and defending champion Rafael Nadal was knocked out of the Australian Open Wednesday, following a second-round defeat after he appeared to pick up an injury in the middle of the game, ending his pursuit for a record-extending 23rd Grand Slam title.

Defending champion Rafael Nadal crashes out of Australian Open (Aljazeera.com)

The Spanish star, suffering from an injury, was beaten in the second round by American Mackenzie McDonald.

I’m really glad I got my chance and got away with it.” But I kind of just kept focusing on myself and got through. “I was trying to stay so focused on what I was doing and he kind of got me out of that with what he was doing.

Rafael Nadal admits defeat to Mackenzie McDonald took physical ... (Tennis365)

Rafael Nadal admitted he felt “mentally destroyed” after the defence of his Australian Open title ended in injury and defeat by American Mackenzie McDonald ...

[Australian Open](https://www.tennis365.com/category/australian-open/) “I didn’t want to retire being defending champion here. Asked why he did not retire, Nadal said: “I was not able to hit the backhand at all. In the end it has been three positive weeks in terms of practice. I just can’t say that I am not destroyed mentally at this time, because I will be lying. Sometimes it’s frustrating. It was not the right moment to have something like this now. “In the end, I can’t complain about my life at all. “I tried until the end. I had to do treatments in the past, address it a little (but there) was not this amount of problem. I don’t know if in good conditions I will win the match, I will have better chances without a doubt. He said: “It has been a couple of days like this, but nothing like today in that movement.