Melbourne, Jan 19 (AP) Rafael Nadal injured his left hip flexor during his loss at the Australian Open and could need about six to eight weeks to fully recover, his manager said Thursday.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion had an MRI exam at a hospital in Melbourne under his doctor's supervision on Thursday, a day after being injured during a straight-set exit against Mackenzie McDonald in the second round at Melbourne Park.

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Nadal was the defending champion and seeded No. 1 in Australia.

The 36-year-old now will head home to Spain to rest.

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Nadal has lost seven of his past nine matches, dating to a fourth-round defeat at the U.S. Open in September. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)