Sports
‘Mentally devastated’: Rafael Nadal withdraws from Australian Open due to injury
No. The No.1 seed Nadal suffered a left hip injury and lost to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of Wednesday’s tournament 6-4 6-4 7-5.
Rafa Nadal, the defending champion, was forced to withdraw from the Australian Open second-round on Wednesday, after aggravating his hip injury during a 6-4 6-4 7-5 loss to Mackenzie McDonald. This is the latest in a long line of injuries for the Spaniard at Melbourne Park.
The men’s draw has been thrown into disarray by the elimination of Nadal. Novak Djokovic, who is nine times champion, can now draw level with Nadal on 22 major titles if he wins a 10th title in Australia.
Nadal injured his left hip running for a backhand during the second set of the Rod Laver Arena match. After a trainer inspected him, Nadal went off court for a medical break.
He returned to the court grim-faced, but his movement, especially on his backhand, was clearly affected. McDonald ended the Spaniard’s bid for a 3rd Australian Open title.
Nadal admitted that his hip had been bothering him for a few days, but not to the extent it was during the match on Wednesday.
He told reporters, “I don’t really know what is going on. I don’t even know if (it’s) a muscle or a joint.”
“I have hip problems in the past.” I had to treat it in the past. It was not a problem of this magnitude. “I feel like I can’t move.”
Nadal had to retire from his quarter-final match against Marin Cilic in the fifth game of the 2018 Australian Open due to a hip injury.
McDonald, a hard-hitting American, had won the first set before Nadal’s collapse on Wednesday. He went toe-to toe with the 36 year-old Mallorcan, and won most of the baseline battles.
McDonald wiped out any demons that remained from their previous meeting in 2020, when Nadal thrashed him in straight sets at the French Open.
“He is an incredible champion. He will never give up, no matter what the situation. So even closing out a top man like that can be tough,” said McDonald.
“I was trying so hard to stay focused on what I did and he got me out of it with what he did.”
Feisty Spaniard returned, but it wasn’t enough
Nadal was greeted with a loud ovation when he returned to the court following his time out. He also received more cheers for holding serve.
His gloomy face told the story. He refused to retrieve a dropped shot in the next match, shaking his head and looking at his entourage.
McDonald won the second set after Nadal smashed a forehand in the net and thudded the racket against his chair when the ends changed.
McDonald sprinted forward to flick the passing shot past him.
Nadal made a desperate last stand to save the match, but it was not to be a repeat of his “Miracle of Melbourne” last year when he beat Daniil Medidev after coming back from 2-0 down in the classic final.
Nadal has suffered more than his fair share of heartache in the first Grand Slam of the year, even though the 2022 final is likely to be one of his finest moments.
In 2010, he had to withdraw from the quarter-final match against Andy Murray, despite trailing 6-3 7-6 3-1. This was due to a serious knee injury which kept him out for a whole month.
He was hampered by a back injury during the final of 2014 against Stan Wawrinka. He lost that match in four sets.
Nadal said that he had considered retiring from the match against McDonald but wanted to finish it as a defending champion.
Even though he said he had nothing to complain about, the latest injury still hurt.
“Sometimes, you feel super tired when it comes to all these injuries,” he said.
“I can’t lie and say that I’m not mentally destroyed at this time.”
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The bronze medal at the Olympics and the semifinals at Wimbledon have charged her up
This is it. Italy è is ready to start on the road to another possible dream, which is to win the Davis Cup again. The first obstacle è represented by the hostile Argentina (absolutely not to be underestimated). The Azzurri are betting, of course, on world No. 1 Sinner but there’è great confidence also in Musetti who arrived in Malaga in great form.
The blue number 2 è has been the protagonist of a heavenly season. The bronze at the Olympics and the semifinals at Wimbledon have charged him up. Now he è ready to be an absolute protagonist in the Davis Cup: “I arrive with a different maturity at all levels”, his clear words to Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I’m ready to take more responsibility and have a more central, more important part than 12 months ago. There will be a lot of excitement, a lot of adrenaline, and I have a lot of desire to experience the competition”, the commentary of Musetti himself, who arrived in Malaga in excellent physical condition, having had some time to rest after Paris-Bercy.
Clearly, with such a motivated Musetti, è much can be expected from Italy. Sinner è an absolute guarantee but, to make it all the way, the help of all the members of the blue team led by captain Volandri is needed. There’s a strong desire to accomplish another feat and return to celebrate, all together.
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Well Golden State, black crisis for Philadelphia
So many contests in the NBA night. With its back against the wall, Milwaukee finds the strength to fight back and take home a crucial victory in the match with Chicago (122-106 the final). Race dominated by Antetokounmpo who finished with an impressive 41 points on the scoreboard, including 25 in a surreal third period, with also eight assists and nine rebounds.
Thanks to this success, the Bucks record rises to six wins and nine losses. After losing the unbeaten streak to Boston, Cleveland returned to success: 128-100 over New Orleans. Excellent performance by Jerome (29 points). The record of the Cavs è the best in the NBA with 16 wins and only one loss (suffered, precisely, against the Celtics).
Most delicate moment for Philadelphia, which continues to sink. The 76ers also surrendered in Memphis (117-111 the final), collecting their 12th defeat of the season (only two wins). A strong showing by Embiid (35 points and 11 rebounds) wasn’t enough to bring a smile back to the interior of a team in total crisis.
As for the other games, OKC folds Portland (109-99) while Houston gets rid of Indiana (130-113) rather easily. New York wins the challenge with Phoenix (138-122) while Golden State prevails against Atlanta: 120-97 the final for the Warriors with 23 points by Curry. Nice success, finally, of the LA Clippers against Orlando (104-93).
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Ferrari è currently second at -36 from McLaren
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The Las Vegas GP takes the stage. A new opportunity, for Ferrari, to try to get even closer to McLaren, currently leader in the constructors’ standings with 593 points, 36 more than the Cavallino. The circuit would seem to favor the Rossa, although Sainz points out an important detail.
“Ferrari competitive? Looking at the track I would say sì, Ferrari should be competitive or at least should be able to fight but when we see that tire temperatures rise, then I would say no”, the clear words of Sainz reported by Marca.
The Cavallino driver knows that in order to take home the Constructors’ World Championship title, he needs “help” from McLaren: “I think we are close. But at the same time, we also need McLaren to make some mistakes, becauseé, if they don’t make any mistakes from here to the end, in case we have to win all the time and we and they come second in every race, I think McLaren will probably still be able to keep the title”.
Sainz, in addition to trying to win another GP before ending his adventure with the Cavallino, wants to try to help the team win the constructors world championship: “I would like to win the championship for Ferrari this year. And sì, I think it would be a great way to end the season”.
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