Argentine eighth seed Guillermo Coria was given a torrid time at the French Open on Thursday before his Serbian opponent Novak Djokovic retired from their second round match.
Coria, runner-up to compatriot Gaston Gaudio at Roland Garros last year, had just established a 4-6, 6-2, 3-2 lead when Djokovic quit.
The Serb had been hobbling and flexing his foot on court, suggesting he had a foot injury. Organisers later said he had been suffering from a respiratory problem.
Despite being ranked a lowly 153rd, Djokovic rattled eighth seed Coria in the first set with his pace around the court and with the depth of his groundstrokes.
"He started very fast. He was playing very high balls. I was a little bit surprised at his speed at the beginning of the match," admitted Coria.
"He was running around like a rabbit, he was trying to do everything. He was moving me around the court...he was playing very well.
"It's very difficult to play someone you don't know very well. Of course, I knew it was going to be difficult for him to hold out like that for five sets."
SCORCHING DAY
With the Serb playing his fifth match at Roland Garros since last Thursday, having won three matches in qualifying, the efforts of the past week caught up with him on a scorching day at the French capital.
After almost two hours of play, he shook his head and abandoned the contest.
"Maybe he didn't like the weather so much," was Coria's verdict.
"Obviously, he was tired after a while. I've been working a lot the past few weeks to really be fit.
"When you're fit, you should be able to play a long match in hot weather.
The 23-year-old will next face Austria's Juergen Melzer.
