Rafael Nadal spoke after his defeat in the second round at the Australian Open.
The defending champion was defeated in three sets by Mackenzie McDonald.
“I thought about giving up, I couldn’t hit the backhand or run at all, but I wanted to finish the match. I didn’t ask my team if I should retire or not. I’m old enough to make my own choices. I didn’t want to retire as the defending champion. I gave my all to the end,” Nadal began.
“Sometimes it’s hard to accept and you feel quite tired. Now is a difficult moment and I have to accept it and move on. I can’t complain. I can’t say I’m not mentally destroyed, because I’d be lying. I hope it’s not too bad”.
He also talked about the injury.
“It was a hip injury, which hurt me for a few days, but nothing like today. I don’t know if it’s the muscle or the hip itself, I’ve had problems before, I’ve been on treatments – but it’s never been like this before. I couldn’t move, and until I do the test I won’t know what it is. It’s hard to know what’s wrong with me – without a comprehensive examination – and everything else would be an ungrateful guess,” the Nadal concluded.
