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Rafael Nadal is down, but he will give everything to stand up again! Rafa suffered a left hip injury in the Australian Open second round, losing to Mackenzie McDonald and giving away the last year's title and 2000 ATP points.
Nadal was crushed after another injury setback, but he still does not want to speak about his retirement. The 36-year-old wishes that the injury is not too serious, hoping to compete again as soon as possible and fight for the titles again.
McDonald defeated Nadal 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 at Rod Laver Arena for a career-best victory and a place in the third round. Rafa did not play well from the start and felt hip issues in the second set closing stages. Still, he kept fighting and risked an even more severe injury in the third set, refusing to retire after being the defending champion.
McDonald tamed his strokes nicely and stayed focused against the rival who could not play at his best. The American played brave tennis and built the lead in the quickest rallies up to four strokes. He broke Nadal five times and lost serve twice to control the pace and move into the last 32.
The lower-ranked player made a flying start and broke Rafa in the opener's games one and five. Nadal reduced the deficit with a break in game six, and McDonald fended off a break point at 5-4 to bring the set home. The second set saw back-to-back breaks in the early stage, and Rafa served at 3-3.
He squandered a game point and got broken following a forced error.
Rafael Nadal injured his hip against Mackenzie McDonald in Melbourne.
The American landed an ace in the eighth game to confirm the advantage, and the Spaniard asked for a medical timeout on his left hip.
Rafa left the court and held in game nine to prolong the set and his chances. McDonald brought the set home after Nadal's tired forehand at 5-4 to drive closer to the finish line. Rafa continued and gave his best in the third set, fighting like a true champion despite struggling to move or hit a backhand.
He fired an ace on a break point at 4-4 and held to stay on the positive side. Mackenzie leveled the score at 5-5 and placed a backhand down the line winner in the next one to grab a decisive break. The American landed a service winner while serving for the victory in game 12 to seal the deal and send Nadal packing.
"Sometimes it's frustrating and difficult to accept. Sometimes you feel super tired about all this stuff in terms of injuries. I can not say that life is fantastic or something about staying positive and fighting; not now. It's a tough day, and I must wait for tomorrow to gather some positive vibes.
Let's hope it's nothing bad. I had three positive weeks on the practice court, and I wish to return to competing quickly. I hope to hit the court again soon and avoid another lengthy recovery, as you need a lot of work to get back to a decent level.
I went through this process too many times in my career, and I'm ready to keep going. However, that's not easy, without a doubt," Rafael Nadal said.