A hip injury-ravaged Rafael Nadal will have to wait longer for his 23rd Grand Slam title as he crashed out in the second round of the Australian Open with a surprise loss to Mackenzie MacDonald.
McDonald, ranked 65th in the world, defeated defending champion and top seed Nadal by 6. 4, 6. 4, 7. Won by 5. After the defeat, Nadal said, “It is a difficult time. It was a tough day. It would be a lie if I said that I am not completely mentally broken.
Nadal also had to take a medical time out on the court. His wife was seen wiping tears in the audience’s gallery. Nadal returned to the court but did not seem to be in his familiar rhythm. However, he said that he did not want to leave the match midway.
It was Nadal’s fastest exit from a Grand Slam since his 2016 first-round exit in Melbourne.
Macdonald has won the NCAA Championship in the US but has never gone past the fourth round of a Grand Slam. Earlier against Nadal, he had played 2020 French Open in which he could win only four games.
Nadal had won the Australian Open a year earlier, his 22nd Grand Slam. He is currently ranked second in the world but was given the top seeding due to the absence of top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz.
Credit: bharat.republicworld.com /