Australian Open: Rafael Nadal Out For Eight Weeks With Hip Injury

Spain's Rafael Nadal has confirmed that he will be on the sidelines for six to eight weeks with a hip injury that brought a cruel end to his Australian Open title defence.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion who struggled with what appeared to be a hip problem in his second-round tie against  American Mackenzie McDonald fell to a 6-4 6-4 7-5 defeat at Melbourne Park on Wednesday.

Nadal, taking to Twitter on Thursday, said an MRI scan on his left hip in Melbourne showed a tear in his left psoas muscle.

"The scan showed a grade two injury in the psoas of the left leg," Nadal who was mentally destroyed after bowing out in Melbourne tweeted.

"Now it is time to have rest and anti-inflammatory physiotherapy.

"The normal recovery time is six to eight weeks."

Buenas tardes. He realizado pruebas médicas tras la derrota en el día de ayer. La resonancia magnética muestra una lesión grado 2 en el Psoas Iliaco de su pierna izquierda. Ahora toca reposo deportivo y fisioterapia anti inflamatoria. Tiempo normal de recuperación 6 a 8 semanas. pic.twitter.com/xwcKSyTzhp

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) January 19, 2023

The timeframe means Nadal is now a huge doubt to play the first Masters tournament of the 2023 season at Indian Wells in March.

The European clay-court season starts the following month and culminates in early June at the French Open, where Nadal hopes to win a record-extending 15th title.