Australia: Defending champion Rafael Nadal withdrew from the Australian Open following an injury suffered during his 6-4 6-4 7-5 loss to American Mackenzie McDonald. In addition to upsetting the men’s draw, Nadal’s elimination puts a twist in the race for Grand Slam titles. Nine-time winner Novak Djokovic could catch up to Nadal in major titles with a 10th victory at Melbourne Park.

At Rod Laver Arena, Nadal appeared to hurt his left hip when running for a backhand late in the second set. After receiving treatment from a trainer, he took an off-court medical timeout with the score 6-4 5-3.  The player returned with a dejected expression to finish the match, but it was obvious that his movement had been hampered, especially on his backhand side, allowing McDonald to thwart the Spaniard’s attempt to win a third title at Melbourne Park.

Prior to getting hurt, McDonald played brilliantly to win the opening set, going toe-to-toe with the 36-year-old Spaniard and dominating most of the fierce baseline battles.

“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,” McDonald remarked.

Always a pleasure, @RafaelNadal ?#AusOpen • #AO2023 pic.twitter.com/CdnOMzYDK0

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 18, 2023

“I was trying to stay so focused on what I was doing and he kind of got me out of that with what he was doing. But I kind of just kept focusing on myself and got through. It’s tough to hit through on clay but I liked my chances on hard, I really wanted to take it to him on the hard court. I’m really glad I got my chance and got away with it,”  McDonald further observed.

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