MELBOURNE, Australia — The injuries continued for the elite of men’s tennis on Tuesday, as Rafael Nadal, the No. 1 seed, retired down 0-2 in the fifth set of his Australian Open quarterfinal with Marin Cilic.
Nadal took a two-set-to-one lead after winning a third-set tiebreaker in typically combative fashion. But down by 1-4 in the fourth set, he took a medical timeout.
He was treated on court while lying on his back. Trainer Per Bastholt worked on Nadal’s upper right leg. At one stage, Nadal placed a towel over his face while he was grimacing in pain.