Clearly Hurt Nadal Upset in Australian Open’s Second Round

A clearly hurting Rafael Nadal lost his second-round match at the Australian Open to Mackenzie McDonald on Wednesday.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A clearly hurting Rafael Nadal lost his second-round match at the Australian Open to Mackenzie McDonald 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 on Wednesday, abruptly ending his title defense and bid for a record-extending 23rd Grand Slam trophy.

Mackenzie McDonald (@mackiemacster) just upset Rafael Nadal in the second round of the Australian Open 🚨 #AusOpen

(🎥: @AustralianOpen) pic.twitter.com/OP4gfJ698N

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 18, 2023

It was not immediately clear what was bothering the 35-year-old Spaniard, but he pulled up awkwardly at the end of a point late in the second set against the 65th-ranked McDonald.

The No. 1-seeded Nadal was visited by a trainer on the sideline, then left the court for a medical timeout. Up in the stands, his wife wiped away tears. Nadal returned to play, but was physically compromised and not his usual chase-every-ball self.