CNN
—
Rafael Nadal Australian Open Circuit The title defense came to an early end on Wednesday as she lost 4-6 4-6 5-7 to American Mackenzie McDonald in the second round.
36 years old Natal He struggled with a left groin injury throughout the match and required treatment during the second set at Rod Laver Arena.
McDonald managed to finish the match in two hours and 32 minutes for his earliest exit from a Grand Slam since the 2016 Australian Open.
“I don’t want to retire [as] Here is the defending champion. “I don’t want to retire and leave the court,” Nadal told reporters.
“It’s good that it’s like this in the end. I’m lost, can’t say anything, congratulations [my] Opponent. At the same time, that’s the game – try your best till the end.
MacDonald broke Nadal’s serve in the opening game to start the match quickly.
She then did the same in the second set, taking control of the match with consistent, powerful attacks from the baseline.
Nadal, who was hoping to extend his men’s record 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 with his movement in the third set, however, and held serve at 5-5.
But then MacDonald got the upper hand, earning a crucial break with a backhand passing shot as both players came to the net.
He wrapped up the match when Nadal smashed a backhand into the net in the next game to mark the biggest win of the 27-year-old’s career.
MacDonald, who is unseeded in the tournament, now has the chance to match his best run at a Grand Slam if he beats either Dalibor Svartzina or Yoshihito Nishioka in the third round.
“He [Nadal] An incredible champion,” MacDonald said in his on-court interview. “He’s never going to give up regardless of the situation, so it’s always tough to even close it against a great guy.
“I tried to focus on what I was doing. He threw me out of rhythm with that, but I’m glad I focused on myself in the end and won.
After the match, Nadal said he would undergo treatment to determine the exact nature and extent of the injury.
“If it’s a muscle, if it’s a joint, if it’s cartilage, it’s hard to make a decision…we’ll see how the injury is and then we’ll see how I can follow the calendar,” he told reporters.
