Spaniard Rafael Nadal will play against American Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of the Australian Open. The match will take place on January 18, starting at 03:00 GMT.
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Australian Open 2023
 Rafael Nadal | vs |  Mackenzie McDonald |
Match Details
Date: January 18, 2023.
Tournament: Australian Open 2023.
Round: Second round (Round of 64).
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia.
Category: Grand Slam.
Prize Money: A$76,500,000.
Despite all doubts, Rafael Nadal confidently passed the first round of the Australian Open. The Spaniard began his title defense with a win over Jack Draper.
The Briton played great in the first half of the match, took the second game, but at this pace it did not last long. In terms of endurance, the 36-year-old Nadal was ready to beat his 21-year-old opponent.
Running across the ground king is still unrealistic if nothing bothers him. As you know, Nadal lost six of his last seven matches before meeting with
Draper. There were fears that the tennis player was still worried about the injury to the abdominal muscles, but, as it turned out, physically everything is in order with Rafa.
Mackenzie McDonald, meanwhile, completed the first lap of the Australian Major for the third year in a row. On Monday, McKenzie defeated Brandon Nakashima.
McDonald led 2-0 in sets, but in the end everything was decided only in the fifth set. It is noteworthy that in the decisive set MacDonald lost with a break, but managed not only to win back, but also to take the game at the reception with the score 4:4.
Before the Australian Major, McKenzie won one match each at tournaments in Adelaide.
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Head to Head
Both tennis players met each other 1 time in all competitions. Nadal leads McDonald’s (1-0) in head-to-head matches. The Spaniard won their previous meeting at the 2020 French Open in a row.
Prediction
| Rafael Nadal win 1.08 | Mackenzie McDonald win 20.0 |
In the 2020 season, Rafael Nadal defeated McDonald in a match at Roland Garros. The American then took only four games.
On hard, it will not come to such a clear defeat, but Nadal is unlikely to have serious problems. The Spaniard must confidently go to the next round.
Prediction: Rafael Nadal (win in four sets).
