Rafael Nadal after the elimination: "Can't say I'm not mentally destroyed" - Voila! sport

Tikteknu: clip summarizing today's events in sports, 18.1 (Sport1)

Rafael Nadal came to Melbourne with the aim of defending his title as Australian champion, but this morning (Wednesday) the second ranked in the world was defeated 6:4, 6:4, 7:5 by the American Mackenzie McDoland, ranked 63rd in the world, thus ending his journey in the second round And the dream of the 23rd Grand Slam will await Roland Garros in the months of May-June.

The 36-year-old Nadal looked far from fully fit and suffered from hip pain in the middle of the second set, and on live television it was hard to miss the footage of a team even before he received treatment, when his wife, who was sitting next to them in the stands, was even caught shedding a tear.

Nadal finished the match on his feet, but recorded his earliest elimination at the Australian Open since flying in the first round in 2016. He is now expected to drop to sixth in the world.

The tears flow by themselves.

Nadal's wife, Maria Francisca Perio (Photo: GettyImages, Daniel Pockett)

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"The body stopped Nadal again", read the headline of "AS" and "Marca" stated that it was a "knockout with a bitter taste. Nadal suffered pain and fought through it because he did not want to retire".

At the end, "The Bull from Mallorca" said briefly: "I felt something in my hip and that's where it ended. I can't say I'm not mentally destroyed right now, that would be a lie. I'm tired and frustrated from all the injuries I've had in my career, but it's something I've always understood and accepted."

After two hours and 32 minutes of competition, MacDonald said after knocking out the number 1 seed and recording the biggest victory of his career: "I started the match in a great way and I'm happy. I think I played very well, I had good serves and my returns were on point. It was difficult for me Staying in the right mentality during the match, but I found a way. Nadal is a real champion, one who never gives up and it's always hard to beat a guy like that no matter the situation. I just tried to stay focused on what I had to do, because he managed to throw me off the pace a little bit. I had a chance And I happily took her."

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• Rafael Nadal

• Australian Championship