It cropped up during a second-round match against German Philipp Petzschner.

'I preferred not to speak about the injury during the week because I was in the tournament,' Nadal said.

'After Montreal, I did a test. The doctor didn't see a lot, but the pain is still there. In Cincinnati (Ohio), the pain increased a little bit more. After the semifinals against (Novak) Djokovic, I went to do an MRI, and I had some edema, strained muscle. I think during these two weeks the strain is converted into a little bit of

rupture.'

Nadal said that despite his pain he had always planned to give his all at the only Grand Slam he has never won.

'It's one of the most important tournaments of the year, and I had to try, no? The result was very positive for me after coming back,' he said.

'Today he played better than me. He beat me, and right now I just try to recover.'