Holder Rafael Nadal suffered his earliest Grand Slam loss in seven years when he went down 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 to American Mackenzie Mcdonald on Wednesday at the Australian Open.
The second-round shock came as the Spanish top seed took a medical timeout trailing a set and 5-3, to treat a hip/groin problem which he appeared to aggravate in the preceding game.
Nadal’s earliest previous Melbourne loss came in the 2016 first round against Fernando Verdasco in five sets.
Nadal and Mcdonald had played once before, with 22-time Grand Slam winner from Spain losing just four games at 2020 Roland Garros.
No. 65 Mcdonald came to the court after a five-set win in the opening round over compatriot Brandon Nakashima.
His defeat of Nadal marked his first win over a top five player at a major.
