Injury woes force Nadal out of Australian Open
World No 1 Rafael Nadal was forced to retire from the Australian Open Tuesday after an upper right leg problem sent him wincing off in pain in the fifth set, a day after injury also sent Novak Djokovic crashing out of the tournament. The Spaniard has called on tour organisers to do more to halt injuries of top players.
Issued on:
"Somebody who is running the tour should think a little bit about what's going on. Too many people are getting injured," Nadal said Tuesday, after retiring hurt in the fifth set of an enthralling quarter-final against Marin Cilic at the Australian Open.
The Spaniard joins a long list of stars struggling with injury.
On Monday Novak Djokovic was sent crashing out of the tournament after his elbow failed to fully heal following a six-month stint away from the sport, while Andy Murray has been on the sidelines for weeks due to a hip injury.
Roger Federer is the only fit member of the Big Four.
"I don't know if they think a little bit about the health of the players," Nadal said. "I don't know if we keep playing on these very hard surfaces what's going to happen in the future with our lives."
Nadal has called upon ATP organisers to scrutinise the tour schedule and look to help players enjoy life beyond tennis.
The world number one went into the year's opening Grand Slam tournament with knee concerns but, ironically, that wasn't the problem that finally brought him down in the heat of battle with Cilic.
"I was playing OK. I was playing a match that anything could happen: could win, could lose. He was playing good, too," Nadal said.
"But I was fighting for it. I was two sets to one up. Yeah, just have to accept, recover, go back home, stay with my people and keep going. That's all."
The top seed was in visible pain on court and Cilic of Croatia will now face British number two Kyle Edmund in the semi-finals following his 3-6 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 2-0 victory.
Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning
Subscribe