The 30-year-old American tennis star, Mackenzie McDonald, is known for his resilient, never-give-up attitude on the tennis court. He is recognized for his ability to fight through challenges and maintain focus, even when facing tough opponents or setbacks. McDonald has battled through injuries and setbacks, demonstrating his determination to return to the top level of the sport. For example, he turned pro in 2016, and three years later, McDonald underwent surgery on his hamstring. As a result of that injury, which he suffered during the 2019 French Open, he had to miss the rest of the season and was also dropped outside the Top 100. But…

Mackenzie McDonald returned to the tour in January at the ASB Classic in Auckland. Although he struggled mostly throughout the 2020 season, McDonald made a strong comeback in 2021. Ranked 194th in the world at the start of the season, he finished the year as 55th in the singles ranking. In that same year, he also reached the fourth round of the AO. Currently ranked 95th in the world, McDonald is yet to win a title in his singles career, but time and again, he has managed to make the headlines with some incredible wins. He loves stealing victories when the expectations are at their lowest!

For example, in 2023, Mackenzie McDonald secured one of the biggest victories in her career by defeating Rafael Nadal in the second round of the 2023 AO in straight sets. McDonald loves taking challenges, and recently, he yet again portrayed his incredible grit during his R64 match against his compatriot Brandon Holt in the Winston-Salem Open. He won the match by 6-4,6(2)-7,7-6(2), but during the match, McDonald was seen struggling a bit with his leg and had to take a Medical Time Out (MTO). The physio examined his right leg/knee area. But despite all the pain and challenges, he still managed to bring a favorable result from this epic duel. Seeing this renowned tennis journalist, Jose Morgado, shared a tweet saying, “Mackie McDonald just won a tennis match one-legged for an hour. Crazy scenes. 15 aces 58 winners 66 unforced errors.“

With this win against Holt, Mackenzie McDonald has his win-loss record to 9-12 this season. Other than a few long runs in the Challengers, his most notable performances came at the Delray Beach Open, ATP Houston, Libema Open, and HSBC Championships. McDonald made it to the fourth round in all these tournaments. Now, it’ll be interesting to see if he can beat Italy’s Luciano Darderi in the next match and secure his spot in the R16 for the fifth time this season. A long run here will definitely boost his confidence ahead of the US Open.

What is Mackenzie McDonald’s favorite memory from the US Open?

Although Mackenzie McDonald has reached the fourth round at Wimbledon (2018) and the AO (2021), his best record at the US Open was reaching the second round twice (2021,2023). But talking about his favorite memories from his Home Slam during a previous interview with the US Open, he said, “I have had some tough US Opens and my record has not been the best. But I always love going to the US Open. I still remember the first time I played. I was 14 or 15 and the youngest person to compete in the juniors and qualified that year. I have been going back almost every year since then, so it’s always fun playing the home slam…It’s a great tournament, and I am really grateful we have a home slam.“

Can he make a good start at the US Open this year? Well, that depends on his fitness levels, which will be put to the test in his next match against Darderi. This will be his second meeting with the Italian. Mackenzie McDonald had defeated Luciano Darderi in their R32 match in Acapulco (in 2023) by 6-4,6-2. 

Darderi will perhaps make McDonald run throughout the court and test his fitness levels to further limits in this epic duel, but considering his nature, we can surely expect yet another fight from the American. Mackenzie McDonald has idolized Roger Federer while growing up, and in 2021, during the AO, Russian star Daniil Medvedev made a very interesting comment about McDonald. He praised him, saying, “He plays Roger style.“

Who other than Federer has played an enormous role in inspiring him in his tennis journey? In 2019, during an interview with the US Open, Mackenzie McDonald revealed, “You know, what actually pushed me at the start of my career was seeing Tennys Sandgren go to the Australian Open quarterfinals in 2017. Seeing him do that was pretty eye-opening for me. I look at him; I know him well; I have played him a lot. When he did that, I think that year was massive for US Tennis, because he pushed me. That was also the year Foe (Frances Tiafoe) starting pushing it; Taylor Fritz and all of us were hungry, and I feel like we all push each other.” 

Despite still being in search of his first title triumph, Mackenzie McDonald’s incredible character on and off the court has truly been praiseworthy. What are your thoughts on his incredible win against Holt, though?