World number one Rafael Nadal retired hurt in the fifth set of an enthralling quarter-final against Marin Cilic at the Australian Open.

The top seed was in visible pain on court and Cilic of Croatia will now face British number two Kyle Edmund in the semi-finals following his 3-6 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 2-0 victory.

It was only the second time in 264 Grand Slam matches that Spaniard Nadal has retired – the last being against Briton Andy Murray in the quarter-finals of the 2010 Australian Open.

Speaking following the match, Nadal said he would provide an update on his injury after an MRI scan on Wednesday.

“Now is not the moment to say what’s going on or what’s not going on because we really don’t know yet,” said Nadal.

He did, however, repeat his assertion that players are suffering injuries because of the surfaces they play on.

“Somebody who is running the tour should think little bit about what’s going on,” he said. “Too many people are getting injured.

“I don’t know if they have to think a little bit about the health of the players. Not for now that we are playing, but there is life after tennis.

“I don’t know if we keep playing in this very, very hard surfaces what’s going to happen in the future with our lives.”

Nadal, 31, had looked in good form early in the match and took the first set 6-3 in a typically forceful manner.

Cilic, however, was a different player in the second as he channelled his frustration at being given a time violation by breaking back at Nadal with a stunning forehand winner.

The third set was much more evenly contested and went Nadal’s way in a tie-break.

Cilic was dominant on his first serve – firing down 20 aces to his opponent’s three – but Nadal was able to draw the 29-year-old Croat to the net on numerous occasions – the most memorable ending in a delicate drop shot which left Cilic foundering.

Nadal’s injury became apparent in the fourth set and despite lengthy delays for treatment, he was unable to continue – retiring at 2-0 in the deciding set.

“It was an unbelievable performance from both of us and it’s really unfortunate for Rafa,” said Cilic.

“He always gives his best and it’s unfortunate for him to end this way.

“I was really paying attention to these first couple of games [in the final set] and trying to keep my intensity up. It was important for me to continue with my own game and not look across the net.”

Analysis

BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller

Nadal has had more than his fair share of disappointment at the Australian Open.

The 2009 champion lost to Novak Djokovic after nearly six hours on court in the 2012 final, was restricted by injury in his final with Stan Wawrinka two years later and then last year was denied a second title by Roger Federer’s epic final-set performance.

Nadal hardly ever retires before the final point is won. So to watch him limping down the tunnel was a miserable conclusion to a gripping match.

A six-week break between tennis seasons is just not sufficient for those elite eight players who qualify for the ATP Finals in London. Nadal’s other constant plea is to play more events on clay. Of course that would suit him, but the toll on the joints is less demanding.

Would Nadal have gone on to win this match?

Quite possibly not. Cilic had that glint in his eye from the first ball. And when he serves with this authority and hits the ball with this aggression, he can be very difficult to stop – as he proved with his run to the US Open title in 2014.

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Kyle Edmund might have been born in South Africa but he endures the traditional problem faced by some Britons in the sun.

“I got a bit burned,” he said after an early round at the Australian Open last week.

“I didn’t put enough sunscreen on. I have to take responsibility – my mum gives me a lecture if I don’t.”

That is about the only misstep from the 23-year-old since he arrived in Melbourne earlier this month.

He opened the tournament with the best win of his career over the 11th seed, followed it with a five-set win in 40C heat in round three, fought back to reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final, and upset the world number three to reach the semi-finals.

Edmund now stands one win from a place in the final, and in the process overtaking the injured Andy Murray as British number one.

On the face of it, this is a remarkable leap into new territory that few could have seen coming.

However, the implacable Edmund has made quiet but relentless progress since emerging from a talented group of British boys at the start of the decade.

From South Africa to the Bahamas, via Yorkshire

The chant of “Yorkshire! Yorkshire!” that rang around Rod Laver Arena during the quarter-final did not quite do justice to Edmund’s background.

Born in Johannesburg in 1995 to Welsh father Steven and South African mother Denise, Edmund’s family, including sister Kelly, relocated to Tickton in Yorkshire when he was three years old.

Twenty years later, he lives in the Bahamas, has career earnings of £1.5m – with at least another £500,000 to come at the end of this week – and is on the verge of becoming a famous face in every place where this most globe-trotting sport has a presence.

A talented footballer and cricketer, it was not until the relatively late age – for someone who would go on to become a professional – of 10 years old that Edmund took to tennis.

At 13 he moved to the National Sports Centre at Bisham Abbey, and then on to the LTA’s National Training Centre in Roehampton.

By the age of 16 he was a leading light in Britain’s junior boys’ team which won the prestigious Summer Cup, Winter Cup and Davis Cup, under the captaincy of Greg Rusedski.

“Kyle would just go out there and batter people,” Rusedski later told the Telegraph.

“He has always had this massive forehand, and he would rip his opponents to pieces with it.”

An obvious talent, Edmund would peak at eighth in the junior world rankings, marking him out as one to watch without ever being tagged as the next big thing.

That would serve him well as he made his way into the professional ranks.

• Read more: I’m loving it right now – Edmund

When Kedders met Muzza

It was when Edmund started racking up titles in the senior ranks as a teenager on the Futures and Challenger tours, that he began to serve notice of a significant career in the making.

A first Davis Cup call-up in 2014 would also prove to be a major milestone, as he came under the wing of one of the best players in the world.

Murray invited Edmund to one of his famously punishing training blocks in Miami at the end of the year, and the Scot has been a huge influence ever since.

Given first-hand experience of what it takes to make the top of the game, the diligent Edmund took note.

On the court, he became only the sixth man in history to make his Davis Cup debut in the final, blasting his way to an unexpected two-set lead over David Goffin before eventually losing in five.

Murray would lead the side to their first victory since 1936 and “Kedders” – as he is known – played the role of youngster in a squad full of jokes and merciless mickey-taking.

“The Davis Cup has been a vehicle to give him confidence and some big stages. From that, he got to spend a lot of time with Andy,” said Great Britain captain Leon Smith.

“I think he has done three pre-seasons with Andy in Miami and one in Dubai, and he has got to rub shoulders with Andy on a regular basis – that can only help a young player coming through.”

A rapid rise years in the making

After rising through the ranks to a career-high of 40th in 2016, Edmund found it harder going as he tried to push on into the highest echelons of the game.

A succession of near-misses against players such as Rafael Nadal, Stan Wawrinka and Milos Raonic meant he remained without a top-10 win, and 2017 ended with defeat by Jack Sock from 5-1 up in the final set in Vienna, and an end-of-year ranking of 50th.

Edmund had worked with a number of coaches over the years, with Rusedski taking the role for a brief period in 2014, but in the latter stages of 2017 he put together a partnership that appears to be working wonders.

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