Rafael Nadal has said he is “mentally destroyed” after the defense of his Australian Open title ended in injury. Nadal lost to American Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of the tournament. Nadal appeared to suffer a strain in his left hip area while running for a backhand deep in the second set. Nadal called for his trainer after limping through the rest of the game and headed off the court for treatment. A retirement seemed likely, but Nadal chose to continue despite his movement clearly being impeded. "I tried until the end. I don’t know if in good conditions I will win the match, I will have better chances without a doubt. But at the end, that’s it. I just tried. It was not possible," Rafael Nadal said. After the game, Nadal admitted that he had come into the match with an issue with his hip. He added that the issue became significantly worse as he played but hoped he wouldn't be out for too long.
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