Rafael Nadal said he was "destroyed mentally" after slumping out of the Australian Open with a second-round defeat Wednesday in which he struggled badly with a hip injury.
But the 36-year-old defending champion said he loved tennis and hopes to keep going, despite his latest injury disappointment.
The Spanish great hurt himself stretching for a shot in the second set against American Mackenzie McDonald, and while he battled on, his movement was hampered and he lost 6-4, 6-4, 7-5.
Crashing out in the second round was his earliest defeat at a Grand Slam since 2016. Top seed Nadal said he wasn't sure if it was a muscle or joint problem with his hip but it had been with him for "a couple of days". "Sometimes it's frustrating, sometimes it's difficult to accept, sometimes you feel super-tired about all this stuff in terms of injuries," said the 22-time Grand Slam winner. "Now it's a tough moment.