Defending champion Rafael Nadal yesterday hobbled out of the second round in a major upset at the Australian Open, but there was no such trouble for the leading women’s stars.
The Spanish great’s wife was in tears as Nadal was beaten by 65th-ranked Mackenzie McDonald at Rod Laver Arena, where the roof was closed because of more rain in Melbourne.
Thirty-six-year-old Nadal was clearly hindered by a hip issue that required a medical timeout, as he surrendered 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 to the American.
Photo: Reuters
It was the reigning champion’s earliest exit from a major in seven years, and is likely to lead to more questions about whether injury and age are catching up with the record 22-time major champion.
The men’s title now looks Novak Djokovic’s to lose.
Nadal said defeat “hurt,” and acknowledged that injuries were taking a toll.
Photo: AFP
“I’ve never been in a position to complain, life has given me so many positive things that I have no right to complain, [but] I am tired, I am sad, I am disappointed, all this is a reality,” he said.
“From here on ... what I want is to continue playing tennis. Don’t think I’m saying all this because I want to take a step back,” Nadal said. “It is not the case, but my current feelings are bad.”
In contrast to Nadal’s disappointment and pain, 27-year-old McDonald is into the third round.
“He’s an incredible champion, he’s never going to give up regardless of the situation,” McDonald said of Nadal. “I was trying to stay focused on what I was trying to do, and he kind of got me out of my rhythm, and I just got through it.”
Melbourne’s famously fickle weather played more havoc.
On Tuesday, play on most courts was stopped because of extreme heat, and then matches were suspended later in the day on outside courts by heavy rain.
More rain fell yesterday as organizers frantically tried, but failed, to clear a backlog of matches.
Only matches on the three main stadiums, which have roofs, were able to begin on time. The outside courts belatedly saw action in the early evening, but six hours of play was lost.
In matches able to proceed under cover, Italian 15th seed Jannik Sinner dropped just seven games in blowing away Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.
Frances Tiafoe, the 16th seed, also defeated Chinese teenager Shang Juncheng in straight sets to reach round three.
In the women’s draw, the top seeds continue to sail through largely untroubled.
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and dangerous American Jessica Pegula led the charge into the third round.
Polish title favorite Swiatek swept past Colombia’s Camila Osorio 6-2, 6-3 while third seed Pegula downed Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-2, 7-6 (7/5).
Greece’s Maria Sakkari also went through, but she looked anything but the sixth seed in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 struggle against Russian qualifier and college student Diana Shnaider.
Coco Gauff won the battle of the game’s bright young prodigies as she battled past Emma Raducanu 6-3, 7-6 (7/4).
There are 70 places separating seventh seed Gauff and 2021 US Open champion Raducanu in the rankings, but you would not have known it as the pair tussled for 1 hour, 42 minutes of pulsating tennis on Rod Laver Arena.
The two good friends went toe-to-toe throughout, exchanging service breaks, but the turning point came in the second set when the American grittily saved two set points at 4-5.
Gauff then edged past the Briton on her third match point in the tiebreak before they embraced warmly at the net.
“I just told myself to hang in there, and I was playing really good tennis toward the end,” 18-year-old Gauff said. “In a Slam you have to win seven matches, you have to expect to play the best. Obviously you hope it’s not in the second round, but that’s what can happen.”
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