Australian Open 2023: Rafael Nadal hobbles out with potentially another lengthy absence

Melbourne: The conditions were less than ideal for defending Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal on Wednesday. The Spaniard prefers to play in the outdoor setting when it is warm, when the sun is beating down. The balls zip through, his topspin heavy groundstrokes produce more revolutions on the ball resulting in the ball jumping up to the opponent. Wednesday at the Melbourne Park was neither warm, nor play kept outdoors. Overnight rain splashed the outside courts and his practice session on Court 10 at 10 AM was moved indoors. He was joined by his team in preparing for the second round against Mackenzie ‘Mackie’ Mcdonald.

Mission accomplished for @mackiemacster 🇺🇸

The impressive American has beaten Nadal 6-4 6-4 7-5. @wwos • @espn • @eurosport • @wowowtennis • #AusOpen • #AO2023 pic.twitter.com/fkaTpk11te

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 18, 2023

Mcdonald, who played US college tennis for the UCLA and is now coached by former American pro Robby Ginepri, was going to be a tough task. The 65th ranked player had the ability to hit the ball flat, toughness to withstand the pressure of the occasion and the wheels to cover court against someone like Nadal. He used all three, and more, in causing a major upset on a Rod Laver Arena that had its roof closed. The 27-year-old won 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 in a shocking result that is Nadal’s worst Grand Slam result in seven years.

Always giving his best 💯@RafaelNadal • #AusOpen • #AO2023 pic.twitter.com/I80XKmCU50

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 18, 2023

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More than Mcdonald’s fortitude, it is Nadal’s latest injury setback that emerged as the focus of attention. During the third set, and a break down, Nadal tried to run a ball down but pulled up, went on his hunches, and looked at his team sitting in front of him. He pulled himself together to see the game out but after a brief injury assessment by the physio, went off court for a closer look. His wife Mery, who had joined him in Australia alongside their new-born son, was seen in the crowd in tears.

😢😭😢 Mrs. @RafaelNadal 🇪🇸

🎾 #AusOpen 🔛 #AO2023 pic.twitter.com/QGJKKKOZBu

— TRAVEL&Sp🎾rts (@travel__Sports) January 18, 2023

When the Spaniard emerged, the amber alert became a big, giant red warning sign as Nadal didn’t chase balls down as he does, played cheeky volleys and drop shots, and smacked winners for cheap points. The grind and the hustle had paved way for freestyle tennis. At changeovers, Nadal bowed his head in dejection, rested his elbow on his knees and looked a defeated man. Except, he is not one to go away without a fight – however futile it may seem. Serving at 4-4, Nadal saved a break point with an ace down the centre, but it only prolonged the inevitable. At 5-5, Mcdonald flicked winners on forehand and backhand to create two break point chances. He got the break with a sliding backhand winner on a Rafa drop shot. The American brought up match point with a forehand winner into the open court and saw Nadal’s serve return land into the net before taking his place on the bench like it was any other player on the planet.

Take a bow 👏👏👏@mackiemacster v @RafaelNadal@Kia_Worldwide • #MovementThatInspires • #AusOpen • #AO2023@wwos • @espn • @eurosport • @wowowtennis pic.twitter.com/Q9UdvlaXM8

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 18, 2023

The last time Nadal fell this early at a major was at the 2016 Australian Open, when he was beaten in the first round by Fernando Verdasco. Later the Spaniard confirmed it was indeed a left hip injury that made him look a shadow of himself. “There have been a couple of days like this, but nothing like today in that movement. I don’t know if it’s a muscle or a joint. I have history in the hip that I had issues. I had to do treatments in the past, address a little. Was not this amount of problem. Now I feel I cannot move,” he said. The winner of 22 Grand Slam titles didn’t consider stopping at any time. “I didn’t ask them [the team]. I am old enough to take my own decisions. So, I didn’t want to retire, to be defending champion here. No, I didn’t want to leave the court with a retirement. Better like this at the end.” What does it mean for Nadal – who had abdomen issues last year, won a Grand Slam despite being needing pain-killing injections daily on his foot and had a “zombie foot”?

Is this the end of Nadal? pic.twitter.com/Xkg8rKFl1B

— Tanuj Lakhina (@tanujlakhina) January 18, 2023

“Sometimes it’s frustrating. Sometimes it’s difficult to accept. Sometimes you feel super tired about all this stuff in terms of injuries. Yeah, can’t come here and lie and say that the life is fantastic and stay positive and keep fighting. Not now. Now, it’s a tough moment. It’s a tough day, and you need to accept that, and keep going. Just can’t say that I am not destroyed mentally at this time, because I will be lying.” “Hopefully (it) is nothing too bad. I really hope that it doesn’t put me out of the court for a long time, because then it’s tough to make all the recovery again. (It) is not only the recovery. It’s all the amount of work that you need to put together to come back at a decent level. I went through this process too many times in my career, and I am ready to keep doing it but that’s not easy, without a doubt,” he stated. When he was done speaking with the Spanish media, Nadal got up, walked over to the audio and transcription team, smiled, shook hands with them and walked off – just as he had done to start things off on Saturday. Advantage Djokovic, not so much the Australian Open Nadal’s exit from the tournament opens the path for Novak Djokovic to go level with the Spaniard in race for most Grand Slam titles won. Rafa, on 22 majors, leads Djokovic by just one and the Serb, a nine-time champion here, was anyway the overwhelming favourite. The fourth seed is back in Melbourne after missing last year’s tournament when he was deported. He got up and running on Tuesday with a straight sets win despite hamstring injury concerns of his own. Rafa’s exit not only steals a potential showdown between two of the remaining Big 3, but it also creates further lack of star power for the organisers to fill. The tournament is already without World No 1 Carlos Alcaraz, home favourite and crowd-puller Nick Kyrgios, four-time major champion Naomi Osaka, two-time major winner Simona Halep and seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams. Moreover, 2023 Australian Open is the first Grand Slam since both Roger Federer and Serena Williams announced their retirements. If that wasn’t enough to dampen spirits, uneven weather – intense heat followed by continuous rain - has kept courts unoccupied and seen schedule go for a toss. Onus now on the local Aussies to go deep and keep ‘em coming. Read all the  Latest News,  Trending News,  Cricket News,  Bollywood News,  India News and  Entertainment News here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.