'Can’t say I’m not destroyed...': Rafael Nadal after shock Australian Open exit

A visibly distraught Rafael Nadal addressing the media admitted he was 'mentally destroyed' post his second-round exit from the Australian Open on Wednesday.“I can’t complain about my life at all. So just in terms of sports and in terms of injuries and tough moments, I mean, that’s another one. Just can’t say that I am not destroyed mentally at this time, because I will be lying."

The Spaniard added that he felt 'super tired' after injuries had become a regular occurrence for him on the tour.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

"At the end, you need to keep going, no? Sometimes it's frustrating. Sometimes it's difficult to accept. Sometimes you feel super tired about all this stuff in terms of injuries."

Read more: Australian Open: Defending champion Rafael Nadal crashes out in straight sets

Despite being dejected after crashing out of the tournament, the 22-time Grand Slam champion tried to look at the silver lining and hoped that the fresh injury did not keep him out of the court for long.

"It’s hard for me, you know. But let’s see. I mean, hopefully it's nothing too bad. In the end, have been three positive weeks in terms of practice."

"So I really hope that doesn’t put me out of the court for a long time, because then it’s tough to make all the recovery again. It's not only the recovery. It’s all the amount of work that you need to put together to come back at a decent level."

Nadal was far from his best when squaring up against American challenger Mackenzie Mcdonald. The two-time winner at the iconic Rod Laver Arena lost the contest in straight sets with a tame 4-6, 4-6, 5-7 scoreline.

WATCH | Puzzled Rafael Nadal looks for his racquet after the ballboy nicks it

Nadal suffered what seemed like a possible hip injury during the match which forced him to take a conservative approach after already trailing behind.

The physios tried their best but the body language of the 36-year-old gave it away that he wasn't going to be able to conjure another one of his famed comebacks.

This was the worst result for Nadal at the majors in the last seven years. He had been knocked out of the first round of the Australian Open in 2016 as well.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE: