Rafael Nadal's title defence could not go beyond the first round, as the defending champion lost 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of the Australian Open on Wednesday.
The Spaniard, in pursuit of the record-extending 23rd Grand Slam, was hampered by an injury, the details of which are yet to be known. He pulled up at the end of a point late in the second set against the 65th-ranked American McDonald. The 35-year-old was visited by a trainer on the sideline, and then left the court for a medical timeout. Nadal returned to play, but was physically compromised and not his usual chase-every-ball self.
This is Nadal's earliest exit at any Grand Slam since bowing out in the first round in Melbourne in 2016 against No. 45 Fernando Verdasco.
McDonald, 27, has never been past the fourth round at a major tournament. In his lone previous matchup against Nadal - at the 2020 French Open - McDonald won a total of just four games in his lopsided loss.
Nadal won the Australian Open for the second time a year ago for his 21st major championship, then raised his total to 22 - the most for a man at Roland Garros.
He is currently ranked No. 2 but was the top seed at Melbourne Park because No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz is sitting out the Australian Open with a bad leg.
Nadal needed pain-killing injections for his left foot on the way to winning the French Open last June, pulled out of Wimbledon last July before the semifinals because of a torn abdominal muscle and also dealt with a problem with rib cartilage in 2022.Â
(With PTI inputs)
