Defending champion Rafael Nadal was eliminated in the second round of the Tennis Australian Open on Wednesday. The Spaniard lost to Mackenzie McDonald 4:6.4:6.5:7. The American dominated Nadal in the opening set, in the second round the favorite suffered a serious hip injury with a long step. After that, the Grand Slam record winner more or less only dragged himself to the match point. The game was over after 2:32 hours.
“I didn’t want to give up, I’m the defending champion here. Giving everything to the end, no matter what the odds, is the philosophy of the sport,” said Nadal. He would have had slight hip problems before: “I had treatments, but it wasn’t that big of a problem. Now I feel like I can’t move.” He said he was “tired” and “frustrated” that returning from injuries would be such a big part of his career: “I just can’t say I’m not mentally devastated at the moment because then I would be lying.”
Even before the injury great frustration
Nadal had seemed frustrated even before his injury. He scolded the chair umpire, on the bench he hit his racket with his hand after a break. Injured, he hobbled to the bench with a pained face, where he had a brief treatment in the upper area of his left leg. He then disappeared into the dressing room for a medical break. Wife Xisca had tears in her eyes. The disappointing end was foreseeable.
Nadal had looked frustrated in the match before his injury. After briefly treating the injury to his upper left leg, he disappeared into the dressing room for a medical break. Wife Maria Francisca Perello had tears in her eyes. McDonald seemed overwhelmed by the situation, there was a break in his previously strong game. But he recovered. For Nadal it is the earliest out at this major since 2016. He has now lost seven of his most recent nine singles, which happened to him the last time he was 17 in 2003/2004.
The now 36-year-old even had to give up due to injury at the Grand Slam tournament in Wimbledon six months ago. At that time he did not compete in the semifinals against Australian Nick Kyrgios due to a torn abdominal muscle. Nadal has also been suffering from chronic foot pain for years, which is why, according to his own statements, he had already thought about retiring not too long ago. “Most days I was sad, I had lost the joy of playing tennis. That’s why I thought I had to retire,” he recently told the Spanish newspaper “Marca”.
Rafael Nadal’s exit has made the race for the world number one more open after this Grand Slam tournament. Nadal himself drops almost all of the points won in 2022, he leaves the top five. His Spanish compatriot Carlos Alcaraz, who is in front and missing due to injury, can only wait to see how the other direct competition performs. This is formed by Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Novak Djokovic.
The Greek Tsitsipas would have to win his first Grand Slam title at the end of next week to take over the world rankings, Djokovic would have to win his tenth Australian Open or 22nd major. With the latter, the Serb would draw level with Nadal. Reaching the final is enough for Ruud if Tsitsipas doesn’t win the tournament. The Norwegian could meet Djokovic in the lower half of the grid before the final. Tsitsipas is in the top half of the grid now left by Nadal. If the aforementioned trio skips, Alcaraz will go into February as number one.
Gauff won the duel of the young stars
The most interesting women’s match of the day was the duel between 18-year-old Coco Gauff (7) and 20-year-old Emma Raducanu. With a 5:4 lead in the second round, the Briton missed the chance to equalize the set and ultimately lost against Gauff 3:6,6:7(4). “I just said to myself, I have to keep at it,” said Gauff afterwards about her 100th victory on the tour. She became the first player to reach that milestone before her 19th birthday (13 March) since Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki in 2009. Raducanu was injured before the tournament but put on a respectable performance.
In the first games of the day, top seed Iga Swiatek defeated Colombian Camila Osorio 6:2,6:3. With Jessica Pegula and Maria Sakkari, the numbers three and six of the tournament did not show any weakness either. The American won against the Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnowitsch 6:2.7:6(5), the Greek Sakkari against the Russian Diana Shnaider 3:6.7:5.6:3. The Czech Petra Kvitova, on the other hand, was eliminated.
The 5:7,4:6 of the two-time Wimbledon winner, classified as number 15, against the Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina was the last women’s result on the third day of the tournament for a long time. Because on the outdoor courts the game should only be played after more than six and a half hours around 5.30 p.m. local time (7:30 a.m. CET) will gradually be included. Rain at only around 16 degrees did not allow any matches on the free courts. A few first-round games still have to be played, as that wasn’t possible the day before because of the heat and then also because of the rain.
Swiatek was 4-0 up against Osorio when the South American suddenly put a lot more pressure on the title favorite. “It was really intense physically,” Swiatek said after the climb. “Camila ran after every ball, she didn’t give me many free points.” Sakkari was actually in trouble, against the 18-year-old Russian Shnaider the Hellenin only managed to win after more than two and a half hours after falling behind in a set. “She should give up her college life and go pro,” Sakkari advised her opponent in an interview.
Pegula played with a number 3 on her t-shirt to show her support for Damar Hamlin. The Buffalo Bills football pro suffered cardiac arrest in an NFL game on Jan. 2, but the defense attorney is on the mend and left the hospital a week ago. Pegula’s parents Terry and Kim are the owners of the Buffalo Bills. “He (Hamlin, note) has recovered, that’s great to see,” said her daughter happily.
Sinner showed no weaknesses
The Italian Jannik Sinner (No. 15) showed no weaknesses with a 6:3,6:2,6:2 against the Argentinian Tomas Martin Etcheverry. Sinner has already reached the quarterfinals of all Grand Slams, but no more. Later, the Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime (6) also advanced, but against the Slovakian Alex Molcan only after two sets behind with 3:6.3.6.6:3.6:2.6:2. The Austrians Alexander Erler/Lucas Miedler, among others, were in the doubles queue due to the weather before their Grand Slam debut. They meet Rohan Bopanna/Matthew Ebden (IND/AUS-10).
A speedster used the long rain break to make an appearance. The man took off his clothes except for his underpants, socks and shoes and ran a lap of honor on the wet square 7 with outstretched arms. He stopped at the umpire’s chair and climbed up. When a steward came running, the speedster got off quickly and gave the thumbs up. He then climbed over the gang back into the spectator area.
