Nadal

An injury-hampered Rafael Nadal's Australian Open title defence ended with defeat in straight sets to the American Mackenzie McDonald.

It was clear that a hobbled Nadal had almost chance of winning three consecutive sets yet he kept hold of his serve deep into the third set before McDonald finally broke serve and closed out the match, ending Nadal’s miserable day while securing the biggest win of his career. While Nadal trailed by a set and a break at 3-4, he lunged at a defensive forehand and pulled up clutching his stomach area. After suffering from injury while trailing in the second set, the defending champion and top seed was defeated 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 by unseeded American Mackenzie McDonald in the second round.

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.

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.

MELBOURNE : Top seed Rafael Nadal lost his second round match to Mackenzie McDonald at the Australian Open on Wednesday after suffering an injury.

He lost 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3 and was out of competition for three weeks. Although clearly hampered by hamstring injury sustained early in the match, he played on and lost 6-4 6-2 6-3. 2023 - Defending champion Nadal appeared to suffer a strain in his left hip in the second set of his second-round match against American Mackenzie McDonald.

Rafael Nadal's defence of his Australian Open title came to a brutal end in the second round against an inspired Mackenzie McDonald as the inspired Spaniard ...

[Australian Open](https://www.tennis365.com/category/australian-open/) “I’m really happy with that match. The 36-year-old played the third set at walking pace, but he initially held firm as he saved a break point in game nine. By then it was clear that the former world No 1 was struggling and he took a medical timeout at 3-5 down as he struggled with a hip problem. “For you it does not matter, I cannot take the towel at any time. With you it’s always the same. [Live Tennis](https://www.tennis365.com/category/live-tennis/)

Defending Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal has been bundled out of Australian Open 2023, the 22-time Grand Slam winner labouring with a left hip injury ...

The loss marked the first time Nadal has been knocked out of the second round of a major as the No. The 36-year-old defending champion sustained a left hip injury in the eighth game of the second set as he chased a forehand along the baseline, and immediately left the court for a medical timeout to address it. 6-3 lopsided loss by Nadal at Roland Garros in 2020, he's long wondered how he would fair on a hard court. Though Nadal's movement was clearly hindered, he hung tight in the third set. But Nadal snuffed out McDonald's advantage, putting the match back on even footing at 2-2 just minutes after fighting off a break point that would have dug him into a 0-3 hole. Open.](https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamzagoria/2022/09/05/frances-tiafoe-makes-a-huge-statement-for-american-tennis-shocking-rafael-nadal-in-us-open-4th-round/) Before that, the last American man to defeat Nadal at a major was James Blake at the U.S. McDonald, showing no signs of fatigue after a grueling four-hour first round match, came out of the blocks firing. I was really taking it to him,” said McDonald, who used relentless attacking to gain an advantage on Nadal even before the Spaniard got hurt. His previous earliest exist as the top seed was in the fourth round at the 2009 French Open. The 36-year-old Majorcan started the 2023 season unusually slow, with upset defeats to Cam Norrie and Alex de Minaur at United Cup. Even before Nadal's injury, the stage was set for a potential upset. Rafael Nadal suffered his earliest exit as the No.

American world No. 63 player Mackenzie McDonald defeated an injured Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-4, 7-5. Read more at straitstimes.com.

“Sometimes you feel super tired about all this stuff in terms of injuries,” he said. “He’s an incredible champion, he’s never going to give up regardless of the situation so even closing it out against a top guy like that is always tough,” said McDonald. 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. Now I feel I cannot move.” (It) was not this amount of problem. 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.

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.

DEFENDING champion Rafael Nadal crashed out of the Australian Open second round on Wednesday (18 Jan) after aggravating a hip problem during his 6-4, 6-4, ...

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.

Defending champion Rafael Nadal lost to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of the Australian Open.

16 [Frances Tiafoe](https://www.espn.com/sports/tennis/players/profile?playerId=2708). [Stefanos Tsitsipas](https://www.espn.com/sports/tennis/players/profile?playerId=2869), No. 6 [Felix Auger-Aliassime](https://www.espn.com/sports/tennis/players/profile?playerId=3209), No. 15 [Jannik Sinner](https://www.espn.com/sports/tennis/players/profile?playerId=3623) and No. He squatted behind the baseline and placed his racket down on the court. 2, but Nadal was the top seed at Melbourne Park because No. Something to tell his grandkids one day, and you have to be happy for that guy.'' McDonald has never been past the fourth round at a major tournament. He kept fighting until basically the end, even though he maybe didn't have all his game,'' said McDonald, a 27-year-old American who won NCAA championships in singles and doubles for UCLA in 2016. He said the hip had been bothering him for a couple of days but that it was never as bad as it became on Wednesday. Nadal returned to play but was physically compromised and not his usual indefatigable self, saying afterward he could not hit his backhand properly and could not run much, either. Up in the stands, his wife wiped away tears.

Mackenzie McDonald reflects on his win against Rafael Nadal in the second round of the Australian Open.

“I have to call my mom back,” he added. “I haven't talked to her yet. I think today I had that belief, and I showed that, and I took it to him. “Also, I told him, ‘You're going to be in a position to win today. Something to tell his grandkids one day, and you have to be happy for that guy. I don't know if you want to join it’,” Tiafoe said. “I told Mackie, ‘Listen, you could join the three amigos: me, Fritz, and Tommy. I don't think I was quite ready to do anything against him.” “I thought about Taylor taking him out, yeah, and Foe. So I'm happy with how I executed for sure.” “Even there I feel like I can take some learning lessons away from that match. “I was in the locker room, and I was, like, ‘Hey, that's actually really big for me’, because I haven't beaten someone of that calibre,” McDonald said.

Rafael Nadal leaves the court after losing to Mackenzie McDonald in the Australian Open. MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP/AFP via Getty Images. CNN ...

“He’s going to be the first one to bring it up and I think he deserves that. You are doing the things that you want to do.” “I don’t think we need to speculate constantly about when that’s going to be. When he feels right, it’s going to be right. “When you like do one thing, at the end, sacrifices always make sense, because the ‘sacrifice’ word is not like this. Ultimately, it’s up to him. “I like playing tennis and I know it’s not forever. This new injury is the latest in a long list that have hampered Nadal throughout his career. “It’s very simple: I like what I do,” Nadal told reporters, per ESPN. “Here we are again, six months later, and he’s dealing with another issue in that same area. That’s the sport at the same time – just try your best until the end.” “It’s better like this at the end.

The drama and absorbing action continued to unfold on day three down at Melbourne Park. Rafael Nadal Australian Open 2023 ©Corinne Dubreuil / FFT. The rain ...

"In a lot of those points I was just trying to hang in there. That boy is going to be mean." "I know a lot of people were looking forward to that matchup. The No.6 seed had to claw his way back from two sets down against Alex Molcan. [World No.3 Jessica Pegula](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/players/21863-j.pegula) set the tone, edging out a spirited Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-2, 7-6(5) to leap into the last 32 for the ninth time in the past 10 majors. 2022 finalist Danielle Collins managed to complete a 6-7(1), 6-2, 7-6 (10-6) turnaround to defeat Karolina Muchova. I went through this process too many times in my career, and I am ready to keep doing, but that's not easy, without a doubt." He is going to be a problem for a long time. Congratulate the opponent," said a deflated Nadal, refusing to throw in the towel. "Hopefully these songs aren't going to mess up my head." "I didn't want to retire, to be defending champion here. "I can't complain about my life at all.

In the eagerly anticipated women's singles clash between Coco Gauff and Emma Raducanu, the American triumphed over the Brit in straight sets, though she had to ...

[Australian Open](https://www.tennis365.com/category/australian-open/) How do you recover from that?! [News](https://www.tennis365.com/category/news/) “How did she not remember that? I need to work on that a bit!” I just told myself at least you didn’t face plant on the floor, I was trying to keep things in perspective.

Rafael Nadal updated his fans by revealing the results of an MRI following an injury he suffered in the second round of the Australian Open.

He also competed in the [United Cup](https://www.atptour.com/en/scores/archive/brisbane-perth-sydney/9900/2023/results) to begin his season. At 3-4 in the second set against McDonald, the Spaniard chased a forehand wide and aggravated an injury that he admitted he had felt for a couple of days. "The MRI shows a grade 2 injury in the iliopsoas muscle in my left leg.

World number two Rafa Nadal will be sidelined for six to eight weeks by the hip flexor injury he suffered during his second-round loss at the Australian ...

"It's not only the recovery. "I mean, hopefully it's nothing too bad. Register for free to Reuters and know the full story

Rafael Nadal underwent a scan in Melbourne on Thursday morning that showed a grade two tear of his iliopsoas muscle, sustained during his second-round exit ...

Let's see how the A six-to-eight-week recuperation would allow Nadal to return well before the clay court season and the run-up to the defence of his French Open title in late May and early June, although would make him a doubt for the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells at the start of March. An update from Nadal's team said he would return to Spain for a period of rest and treatment, with the normal recovery time for the injury from six to eight weeks.