Dealing with ailing hip, Nadal stood little chance in Melbourne against former Piedmont High star, who won 6-4, 6-4, 7-5.
Rafael Nadal, right, of Spain congratulates Mackenzie McDonald of the U.S., following their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023. Rafael Nadal’s stay at the Australian Open was a short one, thanks to Mackenzie McDonald, a 27-year-old former Piedmont High star.
Nadal bowed his head during changeovers and rested his elbows on his knees, the very picture of resignation.“I’m really happy with how I started that match. I thought I was playing really well, serving great, returning well, too,” McDonald said. “So I was really taking it to him.” He said the hip had been bothering him for a couple of days, but it was never as bad as it became on Wednesday. Nadal was not sure exactly what the nature of the injury was, saying that he will have medical tests to determine if it has to do with a muscle, joint or cartilage.
He is currently ranked No. 2 but was the top seed at Melbourne Park because No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz is sitting out the Australian Open with a bad leg.He needed pain-killing injections for his left foot on the way to winning the French Open last June, pulled out of Wimbledon last July before the semifinals because of a torn abdominal muscle and also dealt with a problem with rib cartilage in 2022.
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