Rafael Nadal Says He Will Be Out Of Action For Six To Eight Weeks Due To Injury

World no.2 Rafael Nadal on Thursday announced that he will be out of action for six to eight weeks, after picking up an injury during his Australian Open second round game on Wednesday. Defending champion Rafael Nadal crashed out of Australian Open on Wednesday, losing in straight sets in the second round to USA's Mackenzie McDonald 6-4, 6-4, 7-5. Nadal, the No. 1 seed in this year's first Grand Slam, was affected by injury and it changed the tone with which he was playing. Facing the 65th-ranked American Nadal produced his 'worst Grand Slam result' in seven years.

The Spanish 36-year-old, who was struggling with what appeared to be a hip injury, took time out. He continued after a brief period of break but couldn't match the tempo he had before.

Nadal earlier 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. It's a tough day and you need to accept that and keep going. You know, in the end, I can't complain about my life at all. (I) just can't say that I am not destroyed mentally at this time, because I will be lying. It's hard for me. But let's see, hopefully it's nothing too bad."

The Spaniard's legendary career has frequently been haunted by physical frailties, with 2022 another rollercoaster year. After winning the Australian Open, he suffered a stress fracture of the ribs in March before requiring daily pain-killing injections in his left foot to see him through to a 14th French Open title in June.

Then his bid for a third Wimbledon crown was