Rafael Nadal Injury At Australian Open 2011 Ends Bid For Rafa Slam

Rafael Nadal was visibly teary on the court after being upset in straight sets in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open 2011 by compatriot David Ferrer. He wouldn’t comment in his post-match conference, however, about the nature of the injury that effectively handed him the loss and put an end to his bid for the “Rafa slam”:

I don’t have to tell you what I felt on the court, but it is obvious I did not feel at my best. I had a problem with the match at the very beginning, and after that, the match was almost over.
Pundits were referring to it almost immediately as a left hamstring injury. Nadal was seen rubbing at the area and returned to play after a medical timeout with his leg taped.
Ferrer, for his part, was understandably gracious about the confluence of events that led to his semifinals berth:

“This is one big victory for me, but it’s not like a victory really,” Ferrer said on court after the match. “He was playing with injury … and I had luck. But I played my game.”
The seventh-seeded Ferrer will face Andy Murray in the semis.