THERE’S nothing like a major injury to put your own minor issues in perspective.

Andy Murray was feeling good about things here yesterday, having beaten Ivo Karlovic 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 to reach the fourth round of the French Open, putting everyone through the ringer in two draining five-setters in rounds one and two.

It was exactly what the doctor ordered, a quick, no-nonsense, drama-free victory, but if he admitted he had felt pretty shattered 24 hours before yesterday’s match, his woes were quickly forgotten when his agent whispered something into his ear as he was leaving his press conference.

As he exited the room, a slightly confused-looking Murray encountered Rafael Nadal and a huge crowd of media who were waiting to get in.

Nadal was not due to play yesterday but the reason for his hastily arranged press conference soon became clear as minutes later, he announced he was withdrawing from the tournament because of a left wrist injury.

The nine-time champion looked devastated and ashen-faced as he explained it was an issue that had begun in Madrid, but which he had pushed hard to be fit for the tournament he loves more than any other.

“Today is one of the toughest press conference in my career,” he said. “Having to pull out of the tournament that is the most important in my career and at the same time a tournament that I feel that if I am well I always have my chances.

“I worked so hard to recover the level and I think I was there. I played the last month and a half at very high level competing against everybody, and I felt myself ready for this tournament.”

Nadal said he’d had an injection in his wrist to play his second-round match but that it had stiffened up by evening and was giving him more pain every day.

“I came here thinking about winning the tournament,” Nadal said. “To win the tournament I need five more matches and the doctor says that's 100 percent impossible, that it would be 100 percent broken. I think it is the sheath of the tendon.

Nadal said the injury should not require surgery and that he hopes to be fit in time for Wimbledon, but having not played well there for years and with the Olympics, where he is due to carry the Spain flag, so soon after, it would be no surprise if he skips the grass-court season.

As always, the job of every player is to focus only on what is in front of you and Murray did that perfectly yesterday, pulling apart the giant serve of Karlovic, limiting him to just 14 aces and generally making life very uncomfortable for the 6ft 11 in Croat.

“It was nice to win quickly today,” said a relaxed Murray, having told French TV on-court that he planned to have “fillet de boeuf, frites maison and salad verte” for dinner.

“It [the quick match] gives me a chance to kind of recover from the first few days, which is good.”

Next up for Murray is another big-server in John Isner, the American who needed five sets to get past Teymuraz Gabashvili.

“John plays a bit more from the baseline, a bit more consistent from the back of the court,” Murray said, comparing Isner to Karlovic. “He doesn't volley as well. He's maybe a bit more patient from the back of the court.”

Murray has won all five of his meetings with Isner and the American was pretty blunt when asked if he liked his chances of breaking his duck.

“No, not at all. First of all, he's so unbelievably fit, and then today he didn't have such a physical match, which I think it was just what the doctor ordered for him.

“He's going to be 100 per cent on Sunday. I would imagine he's definitely feeling more confident now and he played a great match today. He's going to expect to play another good match on Sunday.”

Defending champion Stan Wawrinka looked good in a straight-sets win over Frenchman Jeremy Chardy while Kei Nishikori, seeded to face Murray in the quarter-finals, was pushed to five sets by Fernando Verdasco of Spain.

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova was dumped out of the women’s event, beaten 6-0, 6-7, 6-0 by American Shelby Rogers.