For many years we have wondered what the Australian Open will be like without Rafael Nadal. We are about to find out after injury ended his 2023 campaign before it ever truly got started
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We will never know if Nadal could have found a way through this match had his 36-year-old body held together for the duration. At the time injury struck, he was already a set and a break down against American Mackenzie McDonald, an uncelebrated player who produced some of the best tennis of his professional life before it all went wrong for Nadal., a Brit who could barely run out their match because of cramp.
He knew it the moment it happened and had the diagnosis confirmed when he left the court to consult a tournament doctor. He also knew what he had to do. Will he be back at the Australian Open, where he has won two titles and written himself into legend with captivating finals against Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic? He couldn’t say for sure whether he could overcome another setback.
The match stats suggested that pilot error, or perhaps a hidden mechanical failure, were to blame. Nadal’s first serve was a little off and his normally metronomic forehand out of time. Uncharacteristically, most of the rally points ended with Nadal catching the net or hitting wide.
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