By 
Rafael Nadal, the defending champion, was forced to withdraw from the Australian Open on Wednesday after aggravating a hip injury during his 6-4 6-4 7-5 loss to Mackenzie McDonald. The Spaniard is the latest entry in Melbourne Park’s injury-plagued history.
In addition to upending the men’s draw, Nadal’s elimination throws a wrench in the race for Grand Slam titles. Nine-time champion Novak Djokovic could catch up to Nadal in major titles with a 10th victory at Melbourne Park.
In the second set at Rod Laver Arena, Nadal strained his left hip while rushing for a backhand. After a trainer’s inspection, he left the court for a medical timeout with the score 6-4, 5-3.
His movement was obviously affected, especially on his backhand side, and he returned grim-faced to play out the match, but McDonald was able to thwart the Spaniard’s attempt to win a third championship at Melbourne Park.
Nadal claimed that while the hip had bothered him for a few days, it had not been as bad as it had been on Wednesday.
“I don’t know what’s going on, if it’s muscle, if it’s (the) joint,” he told reporters.
“I have a history (of) hip issues. I had to do treatments in the past, address it a little. It was not this amount of problem. Now I feel I cannot move.”
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