Injury no excuse for loss

SYDNEY wildcard Chris O’Connell will determine the extent of an injury he suffered at the start of his third-round Australian Open defeat before figuring out his next move.

O’Connell pulled up sore after chasing down a drop shot in the sixth game of the match and immediately called for the trainer before conceding a second break of serve soon after.

But the 27-year-old revealed after his 6-2, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3, 6-2 loss to American serve-volleyer Maxime Cressy that he actually hurt himself on the first point of the contest.

O’Connell, who was unsure if the problem was to his right hip flexor or high in his quadriceps, refused to blame the injury.

“I think I was pretty nervous and sort of stumbled wide to a forehand and I felt something,” he said.

“With treatment, it seemed to be all right. I don’t know how I’m going to pull up, but regardless, he was too good for me today, so it didn’t really hurt me too much.”

Injuries have ravaged O’Connell’s career since he was a teenager, including ankle and osteitis pubis setbacks last year sidelining him for four months. But his ambition to crack the top 100 has life after his breakthrough run to the round of 32.