In the second set, the 36-year-old Spaniard took a medical timeout due to leg problems, but then returned to the court.
The meeting lasted 2 hours 32 minutes and ended with a score of 4:6, 4:6, 5:7.
Thus, the Spanish tennis player flew out of the tournament.
In the third round of the Australian Open, McDonald will play the winner of the game between Czech Dalibor Svrcina and Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka.
Recall that Nadal won the Australian Open in 2022.
The 2023 tournament takes place from 16 to 28 January in Melbourne.
Earlier it was reported that matches on the open courts of the Australian Open were postponed due to rain.