Nadal

Despite struggling to run or even hit a backhand due to a hip injury, Rafael Nadal says he was determined to finish his second-round match against Mackenzie ...

"In the end, I can't complain about my life at all. That's the essence of the sport by itself. It's hard for me, but let's see." That's the philosophy of the sport. "That's the sport at the same time. Better like this in the end.

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.

The reigning champion suffered a hip injury in the second set of his straight-sets loss to American Mackenzie McDonald, but battled on grimly for an hour after ...

I was not doing that well and then at some point it was the end. I have history in the hip, I have had issues. The 36-year-old Spaniard was full of praise for his American rival, saying: “Mackenzie was playing at a great level of tennis. For a long time I was there, fighting for my chances... It is not the right moment to have something like this now. I didn’t want to retire, to be the defending champion here. I have had to do treatments in the past, recently too. I didn’t want to leave the court with a retirement.” I don’t need to talk and explain the feelings. At the end, you need to keep going. “I just wanted to finish the match. I don’t know.”

For many years we have wondered what the Australian Open will be like without Rafael Nadal. We are about to find out after injury ended his 2023 campaign ...

This doesn’t do justice to the quality of tennis played by McDonald, who found his service range early and showed a Nadal-like doggedness to keep the ball in play. Although Nadal won last year’s French Open, it was with the benefit of two painkilling injections before every match to numb a chronic foot problem. “I mean he is an incredible champion,” the American said after Nadal gave a final, rueful wave to the crowd and disappeared into the tunnel. Uncharacteristically, most of the rally points ended with Nadal catching the net or hitting wide. The match stats suggested that pilot error, or perhaps a hidden mechanical failure, were to blame. Only 20 minutes in, Nadal was down two breaks of serve and an already troubled tournament was fast losing altitude. But it was more an act of sporting grace than defiance; Nadal didn’t want to deny McDonald, a 27-year-old tennis journeyman hunting his first ATP title, his career moment. McDonald paid tribute to the Spaniard. Will he be back at the Australian Open, where he has won two titles and written himself into legend with captivating finals against Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic? “I just wanted to finish the match, that’s it. As he stretched low to return the shot, he pulled up sharply, his face grimacing in pain. Nadal later revealed it was a hip injury.

Mackenzie McDonald upset a hobbled Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 on Wednesday in the second round of the Australian Open, eliminating the top seed after two ...

[Rod Laver](https://www.atptour.com/en/players/rod-laver/l058/overview) Arena. [Australian Open](https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/australian-open/580/overview) for the second time, having advanced to the fourth round in 2021. 15 [Robby Ginepri](https://www.atptour.com/en/players/robby-ginepri/g569/overview), was comfortable in baseline rallies with the Spaniard. McDonald did not shy away from Nadal's forehand, and the lefty was not able to consistently put the World No. I'm happy I just kept focussing on myself in the end and got through, I got it done." I really wanted to take it to him on a hard court. The American hit a shoveled backhand passing shot up the line past Nadal, whose movement had been hampered. He's never going to give up, regardless of the situation. Although the 22-time Grand Slam champion battled on, he was clearly not 100 per cent physically for the rest of the match. At 5-3, the defending champion left the court with a physio for a medical timeout. "He's an incredible champion. "I thought I was playing really well, serving great, returning well too.

BREAKING: Nadal OUT of Aus Open as injury blow ends reigning champ's title defence.

He served out the set and with it the match, sealing the biggest win of his life. Live Coverage of ATP + WTA Tour Tournaments including Every Finals Match. Watch Tennis Live with beIN SPORTS on Kayo.

Reigning men's singles champion labours with injury before losing in straight sets to American Mackenzie McDonald in the second round on Wednesday.

But never count the Majorcan out – Nadal snuffed out McDonald's advantage, putting the match back on even footing at 2-2 just minutes after seeing off a break point that would have dug him into a 0-3 hole. Though Nadal's movement was clearly hindered, he hung tight in the third set. I'm glad I had that opportunity and got away with it." While he pushed past Jack Draper in four sets in the round of 128 at Melbourne Park, the popular southpaw at times looked far from his best. McDonald, showing no signs of fatigue after a gruelling four-hour first round stoush, came out of the blocks firing. "I'm really happy with how I started that match, I thought I was playing really well, serving great, returning well too.

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.

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.

Rafael Nadal's Australian Open title defence has come to a dramatic end with the legendary Spaniard hit by...

"Let's see how the injury is, and then let's see how I can manage to follow the calendar." I lost. "If have been seven months playing almost nothing, and then if I have to spend long time again, then it's super difficult in the end to be in rhythm and to be competitive and to be ready for the fight for the things that I really want to fight. Better like this at the end. "I consider all the time stopping, but I didn't ask the physiotherapist at the end," he said. "In the end, I am out of the tournament and he's in the third round, so well done for him.

Since the beginning of the 2022 season, Rafael Nadal has lost 11 matches and seven of those have come against players from North America.

[Australian Open](https://www.tennis365.com/category/australian-open/) Shapovalov also got a walkover win at the Paris Masters in 2019. [News](https://www.tennis365.com/category/news/) [Live Tennis](https://www.tennis365.com/category/live-tennis/) [Tennis News](https://www.tennis365.com/category/tennis-news/) [Universal Tennis serve up realistic ratings system – with Novak Djokovic top](https://www.tennis365.com/tennis-news/universal-tennis-rankings-djokovic/) [beat the Spaniard 7-6 (7-3), 6-1](https://www.tennis365.com/tennis-news/nadal-no1-taylor-fritz-atpfinals/) at the ATP Finals in Turin. [securing a 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 victor](https://www.tennis365.com/tennis-news/alarming-moment-rafael-nadal-paris/)y. [he won 6-3, 6-4](https://www.tennis365.com/tennis-news/felix-auger-aliassime-topples-rafael-nadal-in-turin-to-dent-no-1-hopes/) during the group phase of the season-ending tournament in Turin, Italy. [a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory](https://www.tennis365.com/tennis-news/frances-tiafoe-stuns-rafael-nadal-us-open-tears/) for his first-career win over his esteemed colleague. [going down 3–6, 6–7 (5–7)](https://www.tennis365.com/tennis-news/nadal-no1-taylor-fritz-atpfinals/). [he suffered a 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 defeat](https://www.tennis365.com/tennis-news/denis-shapovalov-huge-fan-injured-rafael-nadal-french-open/) at the hands of Canadian Shapovalov.

Two words exposed a rare Nadal weakness. Now the biggest question is too painful to ask.

When you do things that you like to do, at the end of the day, it’s not a sacrifice. “Can’t come here and say, lying, that the life is fantastic and staying positive and keep fighting,” Nadal said. I like to fight for the things that I have been fighting for almost half of my life or even more. Does he have the desire to fight his way back from injury one final time? Nadal fought on for over an hour once he returned to the court after his injury treatment – risking further injury along the way. That motivation to fight back from injury upon injury, he said, is: “a very simple thing: I like what I do. It’s all the amount of work that you need to put together to come back at a decent level.” Nadal said: “I really hope that that (doesn’t) put me out off the court for a long time, because then it’s tough to make all the recovery again. Twelve months ago, he was the champion of Melbourne Park, taking his tally to a whopping 22 grand slam titles. Those two words – ‘I think’ – delivered a rare insight into the Spaniard, a moment of vulnerability far removed from his typical approach towards retirement speculation. But I will answer the same every time you ask me.” “It’s hard for me.”

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.

Rafael Nadal admits he is "destroyed mentally" from the rigours of his injury-maligned career, but serves up hope to his millions of worldwide fans by ...

"I tried to keep playing without increasing the damage. I tried till the end." "I can't complain about my life at all. I don't need to talk and explain the feelings. I know it's not forever. "Sometimes it's frustrating. That's the essence of the sport by itself. Better like this at the end. Congratulate the opponent. I lost the match. "Mackenzie was playing at a great level of tennis. "I was not doing that well.

The defending champion's body failed him but he refused to retire from what could be his last appearance at Melbourne Park.

“I try to follow that all of my tennis career ... “I didn’t want to leave the court with a retirement. I lost, nothing to say, congratulate opponent, that’s the sport,” he said. “Just try your best till the end. “I have been better and better every single week and I feel faster in the legs and playing better with more confidence,” Nadal said. “The last three weeks of preparation here have been very positive from my point of view, then I’m going to go on court and I’m going to try my best. “The rest of the parts of my game that I have been working with, I am quite happy and I feel ready in terms of try to play very good tennis on Monday.” Despite having a newborn he said he had practised more in the past three weeks than he had in past 10 years and was starting to see the fruits of his work. It doesn’t matter the chances you have. “I need to build again all this momentum, I need to build again this confidence with myself with victories. “I would love to arrive here with a couple of victories, yes, but that didn’t happen, so need to accept that, need to live with it. McDonald paid tribute to Nadal after the well-earned victory punched his ticket to the third round of a slam for the fourth time in his career.

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.

Precocious Canadian talent Felix Auger-Aliassime looks perfectly placed to make a run deep into the Australian Open, coming...

Canadian Denis Shapovalov was a 6-3 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 winner over Japan's Taro Daniel and will next face Pole Hurkacz, who went the distance in a 3-6 7-6 (7-3) 2-6 6-3 6-3 win over Italy's Lorenzo Sonego. "I'm very happy to be in the next round," said the 21-year-old Sinner, who is co-coached by Australian Darren Cahill. But the Canadian had to do it the hard way against Molcan, dropping the first two sets before lifting to win 15 of the last 19 games in a 3-6 3-6 6-3 6-2 6-2 triumph against the increasingly-frustrated Slovakian. The 15th seed has made a flying start to the opening grand slam of the year, dropping just 13 games in total in his two wins over Britain's Kyle Edmund and Etcheverry. Nadal returned to Rod Laver Arena after a medical timeout, but was clearly hampered in the 6-4 6-4 7-5 loss. Precocious Canadian talent Felix Auger-Aliassime looks perfectly placed to make a run deep into the Australian Open, coming back from two sets down against Alex Molcan to book his spot in the third round.

Tennis has never known a fighter quite like Rafael Nadal - but even the sport's ultimate warrior could...

"It's a very simple thing: I like what I do," he said. And that was not my case. It's all the amount of work that you need to put together to come back at a decent level. I know it's not forever. The good news? This time last year, he reeled off 21 straight match wins to begin 2022.

Tennis player Rafael Nadal shrugs while sitting in a press conference at the Australian Open. Rafael Nadal seemed genuinely unsure about his future in tennis ...

No man has won a major older than him since Ken Rosewall in the early 1970s. At this stage we don't even know if he will get on the clay, but if he wants to make a play for his 15th French Open title, Nadal knows it will be the biggest fight of his career. Hopefully it's nothing too bad. [the rise of world number one Iga Świątek](/news/2022-04-05/ash-barty-retirement-made-iga-swiatek-cry-for-40-minutes-tennis/100965784), who already has three majors on two surfaces at just 21 years of age. The last time Nadal exited a major before the third round was 2016, when he was ousted in the first round of the same tournament by Fernando Verdasco, then had to withdraw before the third round at his beloved French Open with a wrist injury, skipped Wimbledon and lost in the fourth round of the US Open. The Spaniard said he's had problems with his hip in the recent and distant past "but it was not this amount of problem when I feel I cannot move".