Australian Open-2023 was left without the main favorite, Rafael Nadal was eliminated in the second round of the Grand Slam in Melbourne. At the end of the match with Mackenzie MacDonald (65 ATP), the Iberian explained what he feels in these moments after elimination and a new injury.

Rafael NadalPhoto: Sydney Low/CSM/Shutterstock Editorial/Profimedia

Rafael Nadal: I’m mentally broken, but I love what I do

In the final part of the second set, Nadal injured his left thigh, and from that moment on, his movement on the court became different.

The Iberian finished the game in one leg, and at the end of the match explained that he hates to give up.

“I can’t say I’m not mentally broken right now, because I am. I don’t know exactly what the problem is, but I have a history with my hip. We need to investigate what happened. I’m tired of talking about injuries. I lost and tried to fight until the end.

Sometimes it’s hard to accept and you feel exhausted (not mentally) because of all these injuries. This is a difficult time that I have to accept and move on from. I can’t complain about my life. I can’t say I’m not mentally destroyed because I’d be lying. But I hope it’s nothing serious (not related to the injury).

But everything is very simple: I love what I do. I love to play and I know it won’t last forever. I like to feel competitive.

I love to fight, as I have for more than half of my life. When you love what you do, there are no sacrifices” – Rafael Nadalat Mackenzie McDonald’s post-match press conference.

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