Nadal retires in 5th set of Aussie Open quarterfinal

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World number one Rafael Nadal was forced to retire injured while trailing in the fifth set of his Australian Open quarterfinal against sixth seed Marin Cilic on Tuesday.

The muscle in his upper right leg began troubling him late in the fourth before he quit the contest at 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 2-0, leaving a packed Rod Laver Arena disappointed.

Rafael Nadal asked‍ for a medical timeout. /VCG Photo

The Spaniard saved five break points in the last game before Cilic broke his serve, and then went to shake hands with the umpire and his opponent, hurling his headband angrily at the equipment bag.

"Tough moments! Is not the first time an opportunity that is gone for me,"Nadal said afterwards. "I am a positive person, and I can be positive, but today is an opportunity lost to be in the semi-finals of a Grand Slam and fight for an important title for me, no?"

The top-seeded Nadal has been in good form since arriving in Melbourne, dropping just one set and not been hampered by a bothersome knee which limited him to just one warm-up match. It would be a different injury flaring up against the Croat, who was looking to beat the 16-time major winner for the first time since 2009.

A glum-looking Rafael Nadal at the post-match interview. /VCG Photo

This was only the second time Nadal has retired during a Grand Slam match – the last was also an Australian Open quarter-final, in 2010, against Andy Murray.

His absence means only one of last year's finalists remains in the tournament with Roger Federer, who beat Nadal in five sets last year, playing Tomas Berdych in the last eight on Wednesday.