Murray "gutted" for injured Nadal
Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal was forced to withdraw from his quarter-final against Andy Murray
Tuesday, 26, Jan 2010 12:24
By Alistair Potter.
Andy Murray has admitted feeling "gutted" for defending Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal after the Spaniard was forced to retire from the tournament through injury.
Trailing the Scot 3-6 6-7 0-3 after just over two-and-a-half hours play at Melbourne Park, Nadal was forced to throw in the towel after experiencing discomfort in his right knee.
Nadal has a history of tendonitis in the joint - pulling out of last year's Wimbledon championships because of the problem and missing almost three months of the season.
And Murray, who now faces 14th seed Marin Cilic in the semi-finals, said he didn't want the match to end in such a way.
"I've known Rafa since he was 13 or 14 and I've always looked up to him," said Murray.
"He's my favourite player to watch because of his energy around the court - I'm a bit gutted for him."
Despite being handed the win through his opponent's misfortune, Murray was well in control at the time of Nadal's injury.
And the Scot said his tactics against the hard-working Spaniard had been the key to a deserved victory.
"I came through a few tough moments and early on I was going for it a little bit too much," he revealed.
"I had to go for my shots - he makes you do that - but I found the right tactics to win.
"I had to play good tennis when the big points came. You don't want to play long rallies against Rafa at those times because that plays into his hands.
"But overall everything went well - I played really well."
Earlier, Cilic earned his place in the semi-finals against Murray with a marathon five-set victory over American Andy Roddick, 7-6 6-3 3-6 2-6 6-3, in almost four hours.
It was the 21-year-old Croatian's third five-set match in five rounds after similar marathons against Bernard Tomic in round two and fourth seed Juan Martin Del Potro in the fourth round.