"Can't say I'm not destroyed mentally" - Rafael Nadal expresses deep regret over Australian Open 2023 loss

A dispirited Rafael Nadal said he felt "mentally destroyed" after a forgetful outing at Rod Laver Arena in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open. The defending champion, who struggled with another injury issue during Wednesday's match against Mackenzie Mcdonald, bowed out with a 4-6, 4-6, 5-7 loss.

Mcdonald came out all guns blazing against the 22-time Grand Slam champion and dominated for a set and a half before Nadal raised his level in the second set. As he tried to hunt down a forehand from his opponent, down a break of serve at 3-4 in the second set, the Spaniard showed the first signs of severely struggling with a hip injury.

After a medical timeout, he went on to complete the second and third sets, and thus the match, but his movements were hampered to a large extent.

Moments after the match, the 36-year-old shed light on his sheer frustration at not being able to compete at a hundred percent, and said that the injury came at a very wrong time. He also suggested that he now feels "super tired" with repeated injury issues.

"Yeah. Yeah, you can imagine. I don't need to talk and explain the feelings," Nadal said in his post-match press conference. "It was not the right moment to have something like this now."

He continued:

"At the end, you need to keep going, no? Sometimes it's frustrating. Sometimes it's difficult to accept. Sometimes you feel super tired about all this stuff in terms of injuries."

Nadal went on to highlight his current mental state. Known for his honest assessment regardless of the situation, he said that there is no hiding the fact that he was quite upset with the events on Wednesday.

"Yeah, can't come here or can't come here and say, lying, that the life is fantastic and staying positive and keep fighting. Not now," the two-time Australian Open champion continued. "Tomorrow starts another day. Now it's a tough moment. It's a tough day, and you need to accept that, and keep going."

He added:

"You know, in the end, I can't complain about my life at all. So just in terms of sports and in terms of injuries and tough moments, I mean, that's another one. Just can't say that I am not destroyed mentally at this time, because I will be lying."

Nadal as well as his team and family members wore dejected looks, concluding with his walk out of Rod Laver Arena, which many hope is not a signal of his last appearance at the Australian Open.

The Spanish great is known for is his ability to fight back from major setbacks time and again. While his current state of mind is one of sheer disappointment, Nadal will most probably be keen to fight back once again.

"I am ready to keep doing" - Rafael Nadal looks at the road ahead, hopes injury does not lead to a long layoff

Rafael Nadal reacts during his 2023 Australian Open match.

Rafael Nadal also expressed hope after his emotional defeat at the 2023 Australian Open. The Spaniard vowed to keep fighting and overcome yet another injury issue, which he hopes does not keep him away for long as that would only prolong his ability to play a high level of tennis.

While he stressed that the process of recovering from an injury is even tougher than it seems, he hinted that he is far from done.

Reflecting on his challenging campaign in Australia, which included the United Cup, Nadal feels there have also been many positives for him to take home.

"Yeah, it's hard for me, you know. But let's see. I mean, hopefully is nothing too bad. In the end have been three positive weeks in terms of practice," Nadal said further.

He added:

"So I really hope that that don't put me out of the court for a long time, because then it's tough to make all the recovery again. Is not only the recovery. It's all the amount of work that you need to put together to come back at a decent level."

"So I went through this process too many times in my career, and I am ready to keep doing, I think, but that's not easy, without a doubt," he concluded.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion also revealed that the hip injury has been troubling him for a few days. However, the level of discomfort he felt during the match against Mcdonald was the highest since the issue first surfaced.