As he battled through the encounter, Rafael Nadal seemed to pick up a hip injury; he was in visible distress towards the end. Although the 22-time Grand Slam champion took a medical timeout, he decided to carry on with the match, refusing to retire.
Notably, Rafael Nadal’s family had pleaded for him to retire during his injury-marred Wimbledon 2022 quarterfinal win against Taylor Fritz. In that context, he was asked in his post-match press conference on Wednesday if his team and family had any say in his decision to continue playing at the Australian Open despite suffering another injury.
In reply, the defending champion stated that he was experienced enough to make his own decisions and that he did not turn to the player’s box or ask for their opinion about the situation.
Rafael Nadal also revealed that he refused to ask the physiotherapist if continuing to play was an advisable choice.
“I feel I cannot move” - Rafael Nadal sheds light on his Australian Open 2023 injury
Rafael Nadal sustained the injury during the second set of his Round 2 loss to Mackenzie McDonald. The Spaniard conveyed during the presser that although he was facing discomfort for a few days, the injury drastically worsened with one particular movement during the match.
He further suggested that the injury, which is yet to be determined, curbed his ability to move.
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