Rafael Nadal's wife broke down in tears in the stands as the defending champion struggled en route to crashing out of the Australian Open. <br /><br />Nadal failed to defend his crown down under as he struggled with injury before losing in straight sets to Mackenzie McDonald. <br /><br />The Spaniard looked to have suffered a painful hip injury during the match as his box was spotted looking devastated. <br /><br />The 22-time grand slam winner pulled up during his second-round defeat against American McDonald and required an immediate medical time-out. <br /><br />The top seed was down a set and a break against the 65th-ranked player when he appeared to have injured himself after reaching to make a wide ball. <br /><br />The Spaniard immediately grimaced and after McDonald held his serve to move to 5-3 in the second, Nadal called for the medical time-out. <br /><br />As he left the court, his wife, Maria Perello, was seen wiping tears from her eyes as the rest of his box was left shattered by the injury as the 22-time grand slam winner seemingly approaches the end of his glittering career.<br /><br />However, Nadal made it back onto the court and picked up his racket to enthusiastic applause from the crowd gathered at the Rod Laver Arena. <br /><br />Nadal won the first game after the resumption but shook his head to his significant entourage, staring at the floor at every changeover thereafter. <br /><br />After holding for 5-4, he forced his American opponent to serve for the set, which he did. <br /><br />Nadal was clearly in pain and struggling to run as McDonald closed out the biggest win of his career 6-4 6-4 7-5. <br /><br />Even before the injury, Nadal was rattled by McDonald, who broke serve in the opening game of the match.<br /><br />Nadal became frustrated, arguing multiple times with the chair umpire.<br /><br />Maria, who has kept out of the limelight for much of Nadal's career, tied the knot with the tennis icon in October of 2019 and has been in a relationship since 2005.<br /><br />The couple welcomed their first child back in 2022 - a son, named after his father. <br /><br />Wednesday's problem marks the sixth time in his grand career that either injury or illness has cruelled his Australian Open campaign.<br /><br />He retired in the 2010 quarter-finals against Andy Murray with a knee injury and was badly hindered by a hamstring strain the following year in a last-eighth loss to countryman David Ferrer.<br /><br />Nadal withdrew from the Open in 2013 with a stomach virus and suffered a back injury in the warm-up before losing the 2014 final to Stan Wawrinka.<br /><br />In 2018, the great Spaniard quit his quarter-final against Marin Cilic with a hip issue.<br /><br />Nadal last year finally won a second Australian Open title, 13 years after his first, by coming from two sets down to defeat Russian Daniil Medvedev in a classic decider.<br /><br />Nadal struggled with injury issues throughout the 2022 season too, having to withdraw from his Wimbledon semi-final showdown against Nick Kyrgios. <br /><br />He gave up on his struggle to win the calendar Grand Slam after he announced he was pulling out after a 45-minute practice session
