Nadal falls to a great McDonald after playing an injured set

Rafael Nadal's adventure at the 2023 Australian Open had a hasty epilogue.

The defending champion stranded in the second round of the tournament where he starred in

against Daniil Medvedev a year ago to win his twenty-first major.

An injury prevented him from raising any type of reaction against Mackenzie McDonald, who dominated him by a set to nil, 4-3 and service when the Spaniard injured the psoas in his left leg.

He already with 5-3 he left the court to be attended by the physiotherapist of the tournament.

He tried, with the integrity that characterizes him, but ended up falling due to the great performance of his opponent and the unfortunate circumstances.

The American prevailed 6-4, 6-4 and 7-5, in two hours and 32 minutes and achieved his

in a Grand Slam tournament.

After a difficult course, in which, in addition to dealing with his chronic scaphoid injury in his left foot, he suffered a cracked rib and a microabdominal tear, Nadal had arrived in Melbourne in perfect physical condition.

His results in the second part of the season and at the beginning of it had not been good, but the victory against Jack Draper last Monday returned his smile.

The bump has a

, where he could drop to sixth place from the second he now occupies.

He also leaves in the hands of Djokovic the possibility that the Serb will equal him with 22

if he takes his tenth title on these tracks.

Forced to play sack, with difficulties to move, and despite also losing the second set, fear entered McDonald's body, victim of a certain disbelief at what was happening, hesitant as he saw the most important victory close of his career.

There was enough jurisprudence to think of a new appeal to the epic, but reality was stubborn.

The Spaniard survived on assisted breathing, risking everything on every ball, until his opponent broke in the eleventh game of the third set and closed on his serve.

indoor track

Whether it was because the match was played indoors due to the rain or, rather, because of his rival's great start, the truth is that Rafael Nadal was outclassed in the first two sets.

It was difficult for him to accept the dominance of the American and he undertook it with the chair umpire, considering that she was starting the clock that measures the 25-second regulation time to connect the first service too quickly.

McDonald, 65th, had a defined plan, which included opening the court on the Spaniard's

and attacking a second service that was again too weak.

Lively, dynamic, the American also had a high success rate with his initial impact.

All this allowed him to reach a sweet situation: after an hour of the game he was up set and

, and shortly after he had a ball to escape 3-0 in the second.

He did not take advantage of it, but he would manage to break in the seventh, before the already crucial moment in the game due to everything that happened.

The tears of his wife in the rostrum reflected the pain for the harsh blow received when least expected.

At 36 years old, with a battered physique due to a long sequence of injuries throughout his career, time begins to press for Nadal.

Each one of his presences in a big one could be the last.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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• tennis

• Rafael Nadal

• Novak Djokovic