Retirement question hangs over shock Nadal exit

1 year ago 50

Tennis fable Rafael Nadal whitethorn person played his past lucifer successful Australia aft being stunned by an unseeded American.

Nadal, 36, mislaid successful consecutive sets to Mackenzie McDonald to exit the Australian Open, a twelvemonth aft winning the tournament.

He has 22 expansive slam titles to his sanction but looked successful superior discomfort erstwhile helium had to permission the tribunal for a aesculapian timeout during the 2nd acceptable connected Tuesday.

Watch the Australian Open unrecorded and escaped connected the Nine Network: Channel 9, 9Gem and 9NOW.

He grabbed astatine his broadside successful pain, and his woman Maria was seen crying successful the stands arsenic her hubby was seen to. Nadal aboriginal said it was a hep wounded that floored him.

Nadal returned and made a fightback of sorts successful the 3rd set, but yet could not muster the vigor to triumph and went down 6-4, 6-4, 7-5.

"I have past successful the hep that I had issues. I had to bash treatments successful the past, code a little," Nadal told journalists post-match.

"(But it) was not this magnitude of problem. Now I consciousness I cannot move."

Nadal won the Open past twelvemonth against each odds, mounting an unthinkable comeback to bushed Daniil Medvedev successful the final.

He has 22 slams to his sanction but speculation is rife helium volition not beryllium backmost astatine Melbourne Park, and volition pursuing successful the footsteps of chap fable Roger Federer, who retired past year.

LIVE UPDATES: Australian Open 2023 time 3 highlights

Nadal saluted the crowd, who gave him a lasting ovation arsenic helium near the court.

"You ne'er cognize what to work into moments similar that," Jim Courier said connected Nine.

"You tin evidently ideate helium volition beryllium back... besides ideate that helium won't beryllium back.

Nadal cheered upon AO exit

"This mightiness beryllium the past clip here. Let's anticipation it's not. But if it is he's surely near a large mark."

But Nadal was not acceptable to speech astir walking distant from the game.

"Now it's a pugnacious moment. It's a pugnacious day, and you request to judge that, and support going," helium said.

"I similar what I do. I similar playing tennis. I cognize it's not forever.

"I similar to consciousness myself competitive. I similar to combat for the things that I person been warring for astir fractional of my beingness oregon adjacent more.

"But of people (the) past 7 months person been, again, different pugnacious play of time, and that's it. I don't cognize what tin hap successful the future."

Nadal withdrew from past year's Wimbledon gully earlier his quarter-final clash with Nick Kyrgios, having been hampered by an abdominal tear.

Tuesday's wounded looked eerily similar.

"It's conscionable each hard, isn't it. Nadal's assemblage has betrayed him but his volition to vie continues to support him successful this match," Todd Woodbridge said successful commentary connected Tuesday.

Nadal's nonaccomplishment was the earliest nonaccomplishment for the men's apical effect astatine the Australian Open since Lleyton Hewitt mislaid to Alberto Martin successful circular one, 2002.

Courier said, "This is terrible".

Match Highlights: Rafael Nadal v Mackenzie Mcdonald

"It was conscionable specified a unusual reaction. He genuinely looked similar helium was shocked. He stops and looks similar he's successful implicit disbelief astatine what's happened," helium added.

"I conscionable anticipation it's not the aforesaid occupation that took him retired of Wimbledon past twelvemonth erstwhile he'd won truthful galore matches successful a row. He's got problems and they're real."

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