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'An opportunity lost': Injury forces Nadal out

Rafael Nadal has been forced to retire from the Australian Open after suffering an injury in the fourth set of his quarter-final against Marin Cilic.

The world No.1 was fired up when he took the third set for a two-sets-to-one lead against the Wimbledon runner-up but problems soon struck in the fourth set, which was won easily by Cilic.

Nadal called it quits with his sixth-seeded opponent leading 3-6 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 2-0 after three hours and 52 minutes, sending Cilic through to a semi-final against the unseeded Briton Kyle Edmund.

Hobbling through the tunnels of Melbourne Park, Nadal will undergo an MRI on Wednesday to discover the extent of his injury but he does not believe it is his hip as first suspected.

"Tough moments. It's not the first time," he said after the match, referencing his retirement from a 2010 quarter-final against Andy Murray and his injury-affected loss to Stan Wawrinka in the 2014 final.

Nadal showed visible frustration with his body before retiring. Pic: Getty
Nadal showed visible frustration with his body before retiring. Pic: Getty

"An opportunity that is gone for me so that's... I am a positive person and I can be positive but today is an opportunity lost to be in the semi-finals and fight for an important title for me.

"In this tournament it already happened a couple of times in my life. I don't want to say frustration, but it's really tough to accept especially after the tough December that I had without having the chance to start in Abu Dhabi and then in Brisbane."

Nadal, 31, came into the tournament on the back of a limited warm-up after managing a knee injury through the end of the 2017 season.

"I work hard to be here," said the 2017 French and US Open champion, who was cheered off the court by the crowd and Cilic alike.

"We did all the things that we believed were the right things to be ready. I think I was ready, I was playing ok.

"(I will) accept, recover, go back home, stay with my people, and keep going. That's all.

"Always in the tough moments, even if it's difficult to think about it, there are so many positive things that happen in my career so that (the injury) is a negative thing.

"I don't want to complain because it happened more to me than others, because on the other hand I was winning more than almost everyone."

Nadal's issues brought back memories of last year's Wimbledon final for Cilic, who suffered foot injuries and was not able to give his best against Roger Federer.

"Unbelievable performance from both of us and really unfortunate for Rafa," said the 2014 US Open champion Cilic.

"He is an unbelievable competitor, always gives his best and very unfortunate for him to finish this way."

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