The Spanish Rafael Nadal, reigning Australian Open champion, said goodbye Wednesday with a defeat and injury of the first Grand Slam of the year.
A subscriber to epic feats, such as the comeback a year ago to take the trophy, the 36-year-old Spaniard this time he succumbed to the push of the American Mackenzie McDonald (6-4, 6-4, 7-5)number 65 in the world, and a new injury, the third consecutive in a Grand Slam.
Rafa Nadal only smiles when he finds out about the ‘theft’ of his racket at the Australian Open
“I can’t say I’m not mentally broken right now, because I would be lying”he later said at a press conference where he was seen dejected and with his voice on the verge of breaking.
Constantly haunted by injuries, Nadal assured that he wants to “continue playing tennis” and that he does not want to “take a step back”. But “the glass fills up and there comes a time when the water can come out,” she added.
It had been seven years, precisely since he lost in the first round in Melbourne against his compatriot Fernando Verdasco in 2016, that the winner of 22 Grand Slams had not said goodbye so early to one of the four major tournaments.
McDonald’s27 years, with only one win against a top 5 in his career, had promised a “memorable” match and delivered. He broke his serve in the first game and put up a wall to repel all of Nadal’s attacks.
Desperate with his mistakes and with the chair umpire, whom he asked for more time between services, Nadal gave up the first set and again trailed 2-0 early in the second.
The Spaniard then began to tame McDonald’s momentum, varying the direction of his blows and venturing more to the net. But in the eighth game he was injured trying to hunt a blow from the American from the right.
‘I didn’t want to retire’
nadal he stopped with a gesture of pain and put his hand on his left hip: “the pubis”he said looking at his team in the stands.
The injury forced Nadal to retire for a few minutes to the locker room to receive carewhile the cameras pointed at his wife in the stands wiping away tears.
Barely able to run or backhand, the Spaniard held out on court and fought until the end of the third set.
“I didn’t want to retire as the defending champion here,” explained Nadal, whose elimination leaves Serbian Novak Djokovic even more favorite to lift the trophy and equal his record of 22 Grand Slams. (D)
Source: Eluniverso
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