Nadal 'destroyed mentally' as Aussie Open ends with another injury

Rafa Nadal said he would plot a path back to the tour once he has a firm prognosis for the troubling hip problem that cut short his Australian Open, while conceding the growing weight of injuries was taking a heavy toll.

Nadal's title defence ended bitterly on Wednesday as he slumped to an injury-hampered 6-4 6-4 7-5 second round defeat by Mackenzie McDonald at Rod Laver Arena, the latest chapter in a long history of fitness problems at Melbourne Park.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion arrived undercooked, with rib, abdomen and foot injuries having kept him off court for much of the season after Wimbledon last year.

He lost both of his matches in the United Cup for Spain in the lead-up and scraped through the first round against Jack Draper when the young Briton suffered cramping on a hot afternoon.

Though Nadal has won only two matches since the US Open in September, the 36-year-old found positives from his trip to Australia.

“I mean, hopefully it's nothing too bad. In the end [it has] been three positive weeks in terms of practice,” he said.

“I hope that [injury] doesn't put me out for a long time, because then it's tough to make all the recovery again.

“It's not only the recovery. It's all the amount of work that you need to put together to come back at a decent level.”

With Nadal eliminated, his great rival Novak Djokovic can match the Spaniard's 22 Grand Slam titles with a 10th crown at Melbourne Park.

“In the end, I can't complain about my life at all,” Nadal said. “So just in terms of sports, injuries and tough moments, I mean, that's another one.

“I just can't say I am not destroyed mentally at this time, because I will be lying.”

Nadal has long feared injuries would curtail his career but always found a way back from the low points to achieve more success.

He left no-one in doubt he still had the fuel for another comeback.

“It's a very simple thing: I like what I do. I like playing tennis. I know it's not forever. I like to feel myself competitive.

“I like to fight for the things that I have been fighting for almost half of my life or even more.” 

Nadal's elimination shakes up the men's draw and puts a twist in the Grand Slam titles race, with nine-times champion Novak Djokovic able to draw level with the Spaniard's 22 major championships should he take a 10th crown at Melbourne Park.

Among Wednesday's early matches Iga Swiatek, hot favourite for the women's title, and men's dark horse Jannik Sinner swept into the third round before nine first-round games were started as the weather continued to wreak havoc at Melbourne Park.

World No 1 Swiatek overcame Camila Osorio 6-2 6-3 under the roof on Rod Laver Arena and Italian Sinner waltzed past Tomas Etcheverry 6-3 6-2 6-2 on the similarly protected John Cain Arena.

Before he broke down, hard-hitting McDonald had played superbly to take the first set, going toe-to-toe with the 36-year-old Mallorcan and winning most of the baseline exchanges.

If there were any demons from their only previous meeting, a straight sets thrashing by Nadal at the 2020 French Open, McDonald erased them on the Rod Laver Arena hard-court.

Nadal returned to court after his timeout to a big ovation and earned more cheers when he held serve.

His gloomy expression told the story, though, and he declined to retrieve a drop-shot in the next game, shaking his head at his entourage.

McDonald took the second set when Nadal whacked a forehand into the net, and the Spaniard thudded his racket into his chair at the change of ends.

Leaning heavily on serve and relying on touch, Nadal dragged the American deep into the third set but was finally broken to 6-5 when McDonald bolted forward to flick a passing shot by him.

Nadal rushed the net in a desperate last stand but there was to be no repeat of the “Miracle of Melbourne”, when he came back from two sets down in last year's classic final to beat Daniil Medvedev.

Though the 2022 final would rank among Nadal's finest moments, the left-hander has had more than his share of heartache at the year's first Grand Slam.

In 2010, he was forced to withdraw from his quarterfinal against Andy Murray while trailing the Briton 6-3 7-6 3-0 due to a knee injury that sidelined him for a month.

A back injury hampered him during the 2014 final against Stan Wawrinka which he lost in four sets.

Reuters