Hobbled Rafal Nadal bows out of Australian Open with defeat to Mackenzie McDonald
Rafael Nadal returned to thethis year in the midst of one of the leanest periods of form in his career, charged with racing against the clock to find confidence and feel against a pack of rivals determined to seize a rare opportunity against a vulnerable champion.
During his scrappy four-set first round win over Jack Draper, Nadal was far from his best, with his game still caked with unforced errors even as Draper began to suffer from cramp. But Nadal had hoped that the mere act of winning was a sufficient step forward. Towards the end of the first set, Nadal seemed to have found greater rhythm and he generated a break point on McDonald’s serve at 4-5 with a searing forehand down-the-line passing shot winner. But in the very next point he shanked his return off a soft first serve. McDonald calmly recovered to slam the door shut.
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