The Spanish Rafael Nadal, defending champion of the Australian Open, he said goodbye today with a loss and an injury from the first Grand Slam of the year. The second in the world ranking, he might not face Mackenzie McDonald (63) following getting injured in the second set and suffered his earliest elimination in a Grand Slam, since the Australian Open in 2016. In addition, Tomás Etcheverry from La Plata was also eliminated by the Italian Sinner.
Gray day for Nadal at the Australian Open. The Spaniard fell before a firm McDonald, who became a wall, arrived and returned all the blowsmaking few errors in the first set.
The American had won only once in his entire career once morest a top 5 player and it was in 2019 once morest Argentine Juan Martín del Potro. In this opportunity, Already in the first game he broke the Spanish serve. The result for which Nadal ended up falling was 6-4, 6-4 and 7-5
In the second, when the game seemed tilted in his favor, Nadal gave in once more and he was injured in the middle of a race following trying to reach a cornered ball with 4-3 on the scoreboard.
At that moment, the top 3 tennis player stopped due to pain and leaned once morest the net, covering his face with his arm. He then finished the point but retreated to the locker room while the TV focused on his wife crying in the gallery.
Already injured and diminished, the native Mallorcan tennis player only completed the process of ending the match with quick points, placed serves and decisive blows. Although he kept the score level almost until the end of the set, McDonald got a break in the penultimate game and won 7-5.
“I can’t say that I’m not mentally broken right now, because I would be lying. I’m tired, I’m sad, I’m disappointed, all this is a reality. From here, I guess when things progress, the right decisions will be made because what I want is to continue playing tennis“, Nadal later told the press, visibly dejected.
Finally, Nadal, 36, winner in Australia in 2009 and 2013, with 22 Grand Slams in his showcases, said that he will be very cautious with his injury: “I am neither a pessimist nor an optimist, I am going to wait and see what the results and the doctors tell me, but hopefully it won’t be long.”he concluded.
Etcheverry, another of those eliminated at the Australian Open
The Argentine Tomás Etcheverry fell before the Italian Jannik Sinner. After getting his first victory in a Grand Slam, the young man from La Plata (80th in the ATP ranking), lost 6-3, 6-2 and 6-2 once morest Sinner (16th), 21 years old, one of the most promising youngsters on the circuit, following one hour and 46 minutes of play.
The Argentine tennis player had already beaten Frenchman Gregoire Barrere in the first round, but he mightn’t do anything once morest the Italian, who reached the quarterfinals in three Grand Slams and will now play once morest the winner of the match between Lloyd Harris (South Africa) and Marton Fucsovics (Hungary).
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