When Rafael Nadal pulled up short in the business end of the second set, clutching his hips and wincing in pain, a day, that had little respite from persistent showers and southerly winds that blew across the sprawling precincts of Melbourne Park, appeared to have come full circle.
The defending champion, who may have exacerbated an injury he has been carrying around this week, was nowhere near his best under the roof at the Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday. The 36-yearold finally hobbled out of the Australian Open, only completing the second-round match so that his opponent American Mackenzie McDonald would have a wellearned 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 win. "I tried till the end. I don't know if in good condition I would've won the match," said the 22-time major winner, who had the backing of the full house.
Passionate declarations of, 'love you, Rafa' charged the air on either side of the injury. "I tried to keep playing without increasing the damage. I was not able to hit the backhand at all," said Nadal, who couldn't get down to play his shots. "I was not able to run for the ball. "Nadal, whose career has been fraught with injuries — knees, foot, hip, ankle, elbow — was determined not to retire as the defending champion.
"I didn't wan t to leave the court with a retirement, " he said. With roof on and the elements out of the contest, the faster conditions had already driven Nadal into a corner. He was broken in the opening game of the first two sets. The 36-yearold, who was fighting with all he had for his tennis life, appeared to jam his hip (left side) when scrambling at the back of the court. He stopped immediately.
Nadal, who left the court, to get medical attention, threw a glance at his team, on his way out of the court. The collective expression of his box mirrored the Melbourne skies. His wife Maria Francisca sobbed and was consoled by her friend and sister-in-law Maria. His father Sebastian was downcast and coach Carlos Moya rolled his head. The full house — waiting in anticipation for the champion to return to the middle — wondered if this was indeed the last time tennis was seeing Nadal in Australia.
"I don't know what's going on if it's muscle or joint. I have history in the hip that I had issues. I had to do treatments in the past. Now I feel I cannot move," said Nadal, who limped into the press conference room. Though he didn't know what the course of action was, he appeared keen to push forward.
