The defending Australian Open champion Rafa Nadal has said he's ‘destroyed mentally’ following his shock exit in the second round.
Nadal, the defending champion at Melbourne Park, struggled with a hip injury but refused to retire during the matchThe 22-time major champion headed to the Australian Open as the top seed but has suffered his earliest Grand Slam exit in seven years with his wife Maria seen crying in the stands.
Nadal, 36, did not register a single ace and broke his opponent just twice as American world No.65 McDonald registered a 6-4 6-4 7-5 victory. ‘I can’t say that I’m not destroyed mentally at this time because I will be lying,’ the Spanish tennis legend told reporters after his defeat. ‘It’s hard for me.
‘I considered it all the time, stopping… I just wanted to finish the match. That’s it… I didn’t want to retire, to be the defending champion here. I didn’t want to leave the court with a retirement.’ Quizzed about his injury, Nadal added: ‘I have been a couple of days like this. But nothing like today in that movement. I don’t know.
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