PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic – Mackenzie McDonald experienced the most important moment of his career with mixed feelings. He defeated Rafael Nadal at a Grand Slam playing the best tennis of his life, but with the pain and discomfort of seeing him injured and suffering.
“I felt like that was really the fall for him, but in the moment I had to keep my composure; it was sad to see one of our best champions get hurt against me,” McDonald told CLAY in an interview during the Copa Cap Cana.
“Even defeating Nadal when he’s injured is a tough thing to do,” the North American player admitted.
The Spaniard suffered a psoas injury during the second round of the 2023 Australian Open against McDonald. It was the match that marked his path towards retirement: he did not play again that season, and the following year he competed in only a handful of tournaments before saying goodbye to professional tennis.
The former world No. 37 and current No. 126 spoke with CLAY about his friendship with Roger Federer and addressed Alexander Zverev’s comments in Melbourne, where the German said Alcaraz and Sinner are “always protected” by tennis authorities: “There’s some exaggeration there, but also some truth.”
Interview with Mackenzie McDonald
– You return to the Dominican Republic three years later. In 2023 you came as the coach of your partner, tennis player María Mateas, to Santo Domingo.
– We have great memories, because that time we won that M25 tournament. Now I brought her with me to Cap Cana, it’s very beautiful here, and I feel the organisation is doing things well. It’s a great tournament.
– How do you see the top group of North American players right now? What are the expectations, especially looking at Grand Slams? Do you see one of them pushing forward to maybe win one?
– I’ve been playing for quite a while now, which is crazy. We had a strong group before me, maybe not Grand Slam contenders, but great players. I’d say I’ve been surprised and very happy with the level produced by the younger generation. Taylor Fritz, my good friend, has been close to a Slam title, playing the US Open final. I’ve trained a lot with Ben Shelton, and I definitely consider him a contender for a big title. Someone I’ll be watching closely for maybe a Slam. Even Learner Tien’s level is very high, so it’s possible. I think we’ll keep watching them grow and see what happens.
– On your Instagram profile there are three pinned photos, each linked to a member of the Big Three.
– Great memories for me.
– One shows you talking with Roger Federer on beach loungers. What were you discussing? What relationship do you have with him?
– I’ve spent a lot of time with Roger. I went to Dubai and spent a couple of weeks with him during the 2016 offseason when I had just finished college. For a young guy coming out of college, being able to spend time with him was the experience of a lifetime. That’s when I took that photo, and after that I trained with him in Zurich several times before the grass season. I’m lucky to call him a friend. When we see each other, we always talk. He’s definitely my favourite player. It’s been fun getting closer to him.
– Any advice that has stayed with you forever?
– For sure, a lot of advice from him. I don’t want to share too much, but I do want to say how amazing a person he is before anything else. He’s an incredible player, but as a person he’s extremely kind, and I think that’s very special.
– You were across the net in Nadal’s last match in Australia. The moment when his career went downhill, when he injured his psoas in the second round of the 2023 edition. How did you feel being his opponent and seeing him struggle physically?
– For me that was a big match, the biggest match of my career, beating Rafa at a Slam. I was playing some of the best tennis I’ve ever played that day, and getting that win was special, but I knew he was hurting in the third set. I was absolutely ripping the ball. It was sad to see him go out that way. I felt like that was really the fall for him, but in the moment I had to keep my composure. Because even defeating Nadal when he’s injured was a tough thing to do, so I had to stay composed. It was sad to see.
– What did you tell him at the net after that match?
– Not much. He probably praised me on Instagram or whatever he wrote afterwards, something like kudos and that it was a great match. And I really thought I played a great match. Mixed feelings… it was sad to see one of our best champions get hurt against me.
– Alexander Zverev said Alcaraz and Sinner are always protected. Do you agree?
– I think there’s some exaggeration there, but also some truth. I definitely believe the guys at the top of the game are exceptional players and exceptional people as well, so we’re very lucky right now. “Protected” might not be the right word, but their opinions definitely carry more weight when decisions are made. That’s part of the sport we’re in. There’s some truth, but also exaggeration in what Zverev said.
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– “Part-time tennis player and professional traveller,” says your social media bio. What does that mean?
– Just a bit of a joke. People don’t really see the behind the scenes… I’d say I am a professional traveller with how much we’re on the road. I probably spend more time on planes than on court, to be honest. Getting to Punta Cana from Indian Wells meant flying overnight from Los Angeles. We drove a couple of hours to LAX, flew from LAX to Philadelphia and then to the Dominican Republic. We got to Cap Cana at 11am yesterday, and I slept two hours last night. So I’ve been a bit tired from the trip! A lot of travelling and definitely a lot of tennis too.
– You have just turned 30. What is your biggest motivation and main goal for this remaining stage of your career?
– I’ve been playing tennis forever. I definitely want to enjoy the last couple of years of my career. I’m travelling mostly with family right now, so that helps my motivation. I want to spend a lot of time with my fiancée, who will be my wife later this year, so we’ll travel quite a lot together. Other than that, I really want to stay healthy. That’s something I’ve struggled with over the last two years with some changes on tour. I’m healthy now, so I want to keep it that way and just do the best I can. If I do that, I think I’ll be fine and have a decent end to my career.
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