Melbourne, Jan 27 : Rafael Nadal says he doesn't expect to miss much time as he again deals with the right knee problem that derailed his high-flying career last season and forced him to quit an Australian Open quarter-final.

The defending champion had to quit trailing two sets and 0-3 against Andy Murray, as the Brit became the first from his success-starved nation to reach the Melbourne semi-finals since 1977.

Last season, Nadal went out of the French Open in the third round and missed his Wimbledon title defence due to his knee.

"I said (I would not) repeat the same mistake like I had last year," he said. "I go to the limit, but not cross the limit."

The Spaniard is scheduled to play at a Rotterdam event starting in 12 days, a date which he might not now be able to keep. He lost the Dutch final last year to Murray while feeling a similar kind of pain.

But Nadal said the feels he can heal the problem without the loss of much court time.

"I leave this tournament very happy about my level because the perspective is much better right now than two or three months ago when I lost in the (London year-end) Masters Cup," he said.

"Now I am playing another time at my best level. I think we played really well, and I had the chances. I didn't have lot of (knee) problems for the last six months. I felt something from I think was a bad movement. This not because the knee is tired. I think this is going to be OK."

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Hewitt's troublesome hip could be hurting again: report

Leyton Hewitt is battling new problems with his right hip, which could require more surgery if the situation does not improve, Melbourne's Herald Sun reported.

The tabloid said the new development has the Hewitt camp worried but refused to blame the nagging injury for the hammering that the world number 22 took in the fourth round against Roger Federer at the Australian Open Monday.

Hewitt, 28, underwent a surgery on his hip in August 2008 and returned the following January. He won a clay title in April 2009 in Houston as he rose back up the ranks.

The tabloid said that Hewitt hurt his hip again December 31 during training at the Hopman Cup in Perth but remained quiet about it.

The Bahamas-based Australian is due to play in US indoor events next month in San Jose, California, and Memphis, Tennessee, followed by a Davis Cup zonal clash with Taiwan on the first weekend in March in Melbourne.

After losing to Federer for the 15th time in a row, Hewitt kept his comments to a minimum, saying he did "everything right."

"I prepared exactly the way that I wanted to prepare for the Australian summer, gave 100 per cent every time, again," he said. "I ran into the best player right at the moment, I would say." (DPA)