By Canadian Press

Clearly hampered Nadal loses in 2nd round of Australian Open

Jan 17, 2023 | 10:41 PM

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A clearly hurting Rafael Nadal lost his second-round match at the Australian Open to Mackenzie McDonald 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 on Wednesday, abruptly ending his title defense and bid for a record-extending 23rd Grand Slam trophy.

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 against the 65th-ranked McDonald.

The No. 1-seeded Nadal 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 his usual chase-every-ball self.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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