He subsequently withdrew from the tournament before his semi-final against Nick Kyrgios. He ignored his support box's pleas for him to retire from his Wimbledon quarter-final against Taylor Fritz, where he somehow managed to win despite being unable to serve or move properly. It is the latest in a long series of physical problems for Nadal, who admitted he had no feeling in his left foot during his victory at Roland Garros last year because of painkilling injections for the chronic injury. Nadal, bidding for a men's record-extending 23rd Grand Slam singles title, arrived at the first major of the year having lost six of his past seven matches and with further questions about his future. Questions remain over Nadal's future after exit Follow live coverage of day three of the Australian Open.Nadal's wife was left in tears and his support team also looked emotional in the player box as the two-time champion struggled to move on Rod Laver Arena.Īfter seeing the match through to the end he left to a standing ovation from the crowd, with top seed Nadal turning to wave to each corner before exiting the stadium. He arrived in Melbourne having lost his only two singles matches of the season and never looked fully comfortable before he seemed to jar his hip against McDonald. However, a typically battling display in the Wimbledon quarter-finals led to him picking up an abdominal injury that hampered him for the rest of the season. It was a cruel end for Nadal after his stunning 2022, where he came back from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev in last year's final in Melbourne and won a record-extending 14th French Open crown in June. It is Nadal's earliest exit at the Australian Open since 2016.
He took a medical timeout towards the end of the second set and continued with the match, but ultimately slipped to a 6-4 6-3 7-5 defeat.
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