Rafael Nadal admitted that he’s ‘destroyed mentally’ after suffering an injury in his straight-set Australian Open loss to an unseeded American

Rafael Nadal reacts during his 2023 Australian Open match against American Mackie McDonald.REUTERS/Carl Recine

Rafael Nadal’s Australian Open is over after just two matches.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion bowed out of this year’s tournament Wednesday with a straight-set loss to unseeded American Mackie McDonald. Nadal’s 4-6, 4-6, 5-7 upset marks the Spaniard’s earliest exit from a Grand Slam tournament since his shocking first-round defeat Down Under in 2016.

Nadal (right) shakes hands with Mackie McDonald following his straight-set loss at the Australian Open.AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake

Worse, still, for Nadal and his supporters: The 36-year-old suffered a left hip injury while trailing during the second set. Still, he continued on because he “didn’t want to leave the court with a retirement,” he said during his post-match press conference.

“You can’t imagine — I don’t need to talk and explain the feelings,” Nadal said of his disappointment. “This is not the right moment to have something like this [happen], but in the end, you need to keep going. Sometimes it’s frustrating; sometimes it’s difficult to accept; sometimes you feel super tired about all this stuff in terms of injuries.

“Can’t say that I am not destroyed mentally at this time, because I would be lying,” he added. “It’s hard for me.”

Nadal.AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake

After cutting his 2021 season short due to a lingering left foot injury, Nadal rebounded brilliantly to open 2022 with back-to-back Grand Slam victories — at the Australian Open and Roland Garros. But he suffered another setback a few months later, at Wimbledon, when he tore an abdominal muscle during a match (which he won) before ultimately withdrawing in advance of the tournament’s semifinal.

After six weeks away from the court, Nadal managed to compete at the US Open. He fought his way to the fourth round in New York and, upon finishing the year with appearances at the Laver Cup and the ATP Finals, it appeared as though Nadal had finally left the injury bug behind.

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But now, this.

Nadal winces as a medical staffer treats his injured hip.U.S. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

“I really hope that [the injury doesn’t] put me out of the court for a long time, because then it’s tough to make all of the recovery again,” Nadal said after Wednesday’s loss. “It’s not only the recovery. It’s 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 — I think — but that’s not easy, without a doubt.

“I can’t come here and say, lying, that the life is fantastic and staying positive and keep fighting — not now,” he added. “Tomorrow starts another day, but now it’s a tough moment, it’s a tough day, and you need to accept that and keep going. In the end, I can’t complain about my life at all.”

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