The Australian Open is almost halfway through its opening week and on day three delivered one of the biggest shocks after reigning champion Rafael Nadal was knocked out in round two.

The top-seeded Spaniard lost in straight sets, 4-6,4-6,5-7 to unseeded American Mackenzie McDonald at the Rod Laver Arena, giving Nadal his earliest exit in a grand slam in seven years.

In the opening set, Mackenzie broke Nadal’s serve early which gave him an upper hand to seal the set comfortably, with some powerful winners, whilst Nadal failed to hit any aces throughout the gruesome three setter.

In the opening of the second set, 27-year-old Mackenzie broke Nadal again but this time Spaniard fought back.

The 2-2 score line offered the Spanish’ fans some respite but soon Nadal was seen physically struggling on the court. At 3-5 Nadal used a medical time out for some off-court treatment.

In his post-match conference, Nadal acknowledged his hip was hurting – a reoccurring issues he has had for some time but not to the extent he endured today.

Meanwhile, 27-year-old American displayed amazing athleticism covering the court and using the space to make Nadal move around more and keep the rallies long.

He won the final set with a late break of Nadal’s serve at 5-5 to make his way into the third round, where he will face Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka.

Nadal’s box however, found themselves back in a similar spot as last year’s Wimbledon match against Taylor Fritz, when Nadal tore his abdominal muscle yet continued to endure the pain and play. Yet, this time, the pain on his face left his wife in tears as questions arise over the ticking clock of his tennis career.

As he made his way out of the Rod Laver Arena, the crowd cheered the 22 time Grand Slam champion for his abiding persistence on the court as in true Nadal style he never gave up the fight.

Injury woes for Nadal

Nadal was trailing in the match even before injury took hold on a wide shot. Everything after went downhill as his battle to win became a more delaying tactic to losing.

He is known to be one of the fastest on court, but today he was seen struggling on any of the run balls.

He admitted in the post-match conference that he was struggling with his hip but did not want to retire.

The injury woes have recently surrounded the Spaniard which has left tennis fans to question if the end of Nadal’s career is in sight.

Even though Nadal had a successful run in 2022, winning the Australian Open and French Open, he was struggling with a foot injury during the clay season. At the Wimbledon it was the abdomen tear which made him concede the match to Australian Nick Kyrgios.

Having becoming a father, Nadal’s life has taken a big turn, but could this change be the start of an even bigger shift as he struggles to maintain his elite statue on the court, having lost seven out of eight matches since his 2022 US Open defeat.