World No.1 Rafael Nadal knocked out by 65th-ranked McDonald in 2nd round of Australian Open 2023

It was not immediately clear what was bothering the 35-year-old Spaniard, but he pulled up awkwardly at the end of a point late in the second set.

He was visited by a trainer on the sideline, then left the court for a medical timeout. Up in the stands, his wife wiped away tears. Nadal returned to play, but was physically compromised and not in his usual chase-every-ball self.

This is Nadal’s earliest exit at any Grand Slam tournament since bowing out in the first round in Melbourne in 2016. Verdasco was the lowest-ranked player to defeat Nadal in Australia – until today when McDonald beat Nadal.

McDonald is a 27-year-old American who won NCAA championships in singles and doubles for UCLA in 2016. He has never been past the fourth round at a major tournament. In his lone previous matchup against Nadal, at the 2020 French Open, McDonald won a total of just four games in his lopsided loss.

Nadal won the Australian Open for the second time a year ago for his 21st major championship, then raised his total to 22 – the most for a man – at Roland Garros.

He is currently ranked No. 2 but was the top seed at Melbourne Park because No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz is sitting out the Australian Open with a bad leg.Nadal has dealt with a series of health issues recently.

He needed pain-killing injections for his left foot on the way to winning the French Open last June, pulled out of Wimbledon last July before the semifinals because of a torn abdominal muscle and also dealt with a problem with rib cartilage in 2022.

(Inputs from AP)