Rafael Nadal said he felt “sad” and “tired” on Wednesday, after his earliest exit at a Grand Slam since the 2016 Australian Open when he was eliminated in the first round.
The defending champion and No.1 seed at Melbourne Park injured his left hip and lost to Mackenzie McDonald 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 in the second round, abruptly ending his bid for a record-extending 23rd Grand Slam trophy.
“It’s a tough moment. It’s a tough day,” Nadal said.
“I can’t say that I am not destroyed mentally at this moment, because I would be lying.”
At night, 2022 French Open runner-up Coco Gauff got past 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu 6-3, 7-6 (4) in a second-round meeting between the two young stars.
“I know a lot of people were looking forward to that matchup,” Gauff said.
“I’m glad we got the prime spot. I hope we delivered.”
Seeded men who won included No.3 Stefanos Tsitsipas, No.6 Felix Auger-Aliassime, No.7 Daniil Medvedev – the runner-up to Nadal last year and to Novak Djokovic in 2021, No.15 Jannik Sinner and No.16 Frances Tiafoe.
For more watch Euronews’ report in the video above.