The 23-year-old tennis player from La Plata had beaten the Frenchman in the first round Gregoire Barrere but could not do anything against the Italian, who reached the quarterfinals in three grand slams and now he will play against the winner of the cross between Lloyd Harris (South Africa) and Marton Fucsovics (Hungary).
While, nadalsecond in the world ranking, could do nothing against McDonald’s (63) after being injured in the second set: he finished the match limply, fell 6-4, 6-4 and 7-5 and suffered his earliest elimination in a Grand Slam, since the Australian Open in 2016.
McDonald’swho had won only once in his entire career against a top 5 player, in 2019 against the Argentine Juan Martin del Potroalready in the first game he broke the Spanish serve.
The American became a wall, arriving and returning all the blows from Nadal, who made unusual errors in the first set.
In the second, when the game seemed tilted in his favor, nadal he gave up another service and was injured in the middle of a race to try to reach a cornered ball with 4-3 on the scoreboard.
The injury, the main against
Nadal stopped in pain and leaned against the net, covering his face with his arm.. He then finished the point but retreated to the locker room as the TV focused on his wife crying in the stands.
Later, injured and diminished, the Mallorcan tennis player only completed the process of ending the match. With quick points, placed serves and decisive blows, he kept the score level almost until the end of the set, until McDonald’s got a break in the penultimate game and won 7-5.
“I can’t say that I’m not mentally broken right now, because I’d be lying. I’m tired, I’m sad, I’m disappointed, this is all a reality. From here, I guess when things move forward, the right decisions will be made because what I want is to continue playing tennis,” Nadal later told the press, visibly dejected.
“Do not think that I am saying all this because I want to take a step back. It is not the case, but in the end, the glass fills up. It is evident that things are happening and at a sporting level the glass fills up and there comes a time when the water can leak out,” he added.
Finally, Nadal, 36, winner in Australia in 2009 and 2013, with 22 Grand Slams in his showcases, said he will be very cautious with his injury: “I am neither pessimistic nor optimistic, I am going to wait to see what the results and the doctors tell me, but hopefully it won’t be long at all”, he concluded.
Source: Ambito
