Tennis - An injured Rafael Nadal was upset by David Ferrer on Wednesday in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open. The loss ended the Spaniard's bid for tennis history. Ferrer, the seventh seed, won by a score of 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 at Melbourne Park.
Before and during the game, Nadal received treatment on his left thigh, telling reporters after the match that he was nursing a muscle tear.
Nadal snapped his 25-match winning streak in Grand Slams. The world's No. 1-ranked tennis player was trying to become the first man since 1969 to hold all four major titles at once. A true grand slam includes winning the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open all in the same calendar year. After the loss, a dejected Nadal was in tears.
"I hate the retirements,'' he said, as quoted by AP. "This wasn't the day. I did last year. I hate that moment. ... Didn't want to repeat that.'' Exactly one year ago, Nadal was forced to retire from a match with Andy Murray at the same tournament due to an injured left knee.
Ferrer will meet 2010 finalist Andy Murray of England in the semifinals.
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