Rafael Nadal’s wife crying in the stands over Australian Open injury nightmare | Tennis | Sport

Rafael Nadal’s wife was seen in tears as the world No 2 required an off-court medical time-out for a fresh injury during his Australian Open second-round match against Mackenzie McDonald. The defending champion could be seen wincing in pain before calling the physio to court towards the end of the second set while the mood in his player camp looked sombre, and he ultimately lost 6-4 6-4 7-5.

Nadal was outplayed by the world No 65 for the first set-and-a-half before injury started to set in towards the back end of the second, with the 2022 champion in Melbourne seen crouching down on his thigh after struggling to push off it.

He called the physio to court and received some initial treatment and assessment but was taken off the court for his medical time-out, sparking concern among his team. As the camera panned over his player box, coach Carlos Moya could be seen looking anxious while his wife Mery Perello was seen shedding tears before wiping them away.

It’s not the first time Nadal’s team has intervened during an injury scare as they urged him to retire during his Wimbledon quarter-final against Taylor Fritz last year – orders the world No 2 defied before managing to win in five sets. But it was the first time his wife or anyone in his camp was seen showing such emotion.

JUST IN: Australian Open umpire dives off chair and chases fan after theft