Defending Champ Rafael Nadal Ousted In Australian Open Second Round By American Mackie McDonald

Rafael Nadal suffered his earliest exit as the No. 1 seed at a Grand Slam event when he endured a left hip injury and lost to American Mackenzie McDonald in the second round on Wednesday at the Australian Open.

The 36-year-old defending champion sustained a left hip injury in the eighth game of the second set as he chased a forehand along the baseline, and immediately left the court for a medical timeout to address it. The 22-time Grand Slam winner returned to the court but ultimately lost 6-4, 6-4, 7-5, allowing McDonald to become the second American in the last 20 years to defeat the top seed at a major.

It also marked the second straight major that Nadal was ousted by an American after being upset by Frances Tiafoe in the fourth round of the U.S. Open. Before that, the last American man to defeat Nadal at a major was James Blake at the U.S. Open in 2005.

The loss marked the first time Nadal has been knocked out of the second round of a major as the No. 1 seed. His previous earliest exist as the top seed was in the fourth round at the 2009 French Open.

“I’m really happy with how I started that match, I thought I was playing really well, serving great, returning well too. I was really taking it to him,” said McDonald, who used relentless attacking to gain an advantage on Nadal even before the Spaniard got hurt.

“I hate that for him,” McDonald added, referencing the Spaniard’s injury.

“It’s actually hard to stay mentally engaged there – I found a way to mentally pull it out, so I’m happy.

“He’s an incredible champion, he’s never going to give up regardless of the situation.”

Nadal, who won the Australian and French Opens in 2022 to get halfway to the calendar Slam, received a standing ovation as he exited Rod Laver Arena.

“Closing it out against a top guy like that is always tough,” said the 65th-ranked McDonald. “I was focusing on myself at the end, and just got through.”

The Australian Open was already without world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, who withdrew before the tournament with a leg injury, and Australian native and crowd favorite Nick Kyrgios, who also pulled out with an injury.

Nadal and No. 4 seed and nine-time champion Novak Djokovic were on opposite sides of the draw and could have only met in the final. Djokovic entered as the “clear” favorite to win the title, per ESPN’s Patrick McEnroe and the betting odds, while Nadal was the sixth betting favorite.

Djokovic, who advanced to the second round in straight sets, remains the heavy favorite to win his 10th Australian Open and record-tying 22nd major.

Even before Nadal’s injury, the stage was set for a potential upset. The 36-year-old Majorcan started the 2023 season unusually slow, with upset defeats to Cam Norrie and Alex de Minaur at United Cup. He had dropped six of his last seven matches coming into Melbourne Park.

While he advanced past Jack Draper in four sets in the first round, he often did not look his best.

By contrast, McDonald has been on the rise, having upset world No. 32 Dan Evans in Adelaide last week. At 27, he is nearly a decade younger than Nadal.

McDonald, showing no signs of fatigue after a grueling four-hour first round match, came out of the blocks firing. Unafraid to attack the Nadal forehand in long rallies, the Californian broke Nadal in the first and fifth games of the match before Nadal earned one back.

While the duo traded explosive groundstrokes that elicited gasps of appreciation from the Rod Laver Arena crowd, McDonald punished Nadal’s short returns with blistering, flat, balls that forced a slew of errors from Nadal’s racquet, including on set point.

The self-assured American began the second set much like the first, showcasing impeccable defense to a breathtaking 24-stroke rally in the opening game en route to breaking the Spaniard. But Nadal snuffed out McDonald’s advantage, putting the match back on even footing at 2-2 just minutes after fighting off a break point that would have dug him into a 0-3 hole.

Relentless attacking from McDonald earned the right-hander a break that he consolidated for a 5-3 lead, but during that game, Nadal sustained a left hip injury as he chased a forehand along the baseline, and immediately left the court for a medical timeout to address it.

Not distracted from what was unfolding on his opponent’s side of the net, McDonald dug in to close out the second set.

Though Nadal’s movement was clearly hindered, he hung tight in the third set. But at 5-5, the American finally seized a chance to break his wounded rival, who was serving up aces to save break points almost all the way to the finish.

Presented with a match point on serve, McDonald smacked a service winner to secure his second top-five career win in 11 attempts.

McDonald, who banged out 14 aces to Nadal’s six, was pleased with his effort. After being dealt a 6-1, 6-0. 6-3 lopsided loss by Nadal at Roland Garros in 2020, he’s long wondered how he would fair on a hard court.

“Last time I played him was on [Court Philippe] Chatrier, he kicked my butt,” said McDonald.

“I like my chances on hard (courts), I really wanted to take it to him on a hard court. I’m glad I had that opportunity and got away with it.”

The Californian faces either qualifier Dalibor Svrcina or 31st seed Yoshihito Nishioka in the round of 32 for a chance to match – or better – his fourth round appearance from 2021.