Rafael Nadal's [ Images ] Wimbledon [ Images ] preparations suffered a blow on Friday when he had to retire from his Stella Artois quarter-final in London [ Images ] against Australian Lleyton Hewitt [ Images ] with a shoulder injury.

The double French Open [ Images ] champion had taken the first set impressively 6-3 but needed treatment to his left shoulder in the second which he lost 6-3.

Nadal, the tournament's top seed, then told the chair umpire that he did not want to continue at the start of the third set and will now face a race to be fit for the grasscourt Grand Slam which begins on June 26.

"I felt a lot of pain here," Nadal told reporters afterwards, indicating the point of his left shoulder. "It's a shame because I was playing my best match [on grass] here today."

Asked if he thought he would be fit for Wimbledon, the world number two replied: "I don't know, I hope so."

The 20-year-old Mallorcan, who beat Roger Federer [ Images ] to win his second French Open in a row on Sunday, said he hoped to fly home later on Friday to consult his physio.

"He said it was his shoulder. I said, 'That's what happens when you play so many matches,'" said a sympathetic Hewitt, who faces Briton Tim Henman [ Images ] in the semi-finals.

Nadal's defeat ended his run of 26 consecutive wins since his defeat by Carlos Moya [ Images ] at the Miami [ Images ] Masters in March.

Henman broke his jinx against Dmitry Tursunov [ Images ] by beating the Russian 6-3, 7-6.

He was knocked out of Wimbledon by Tursunov last year and also lost to him at this year's Australian Open [ Images ] and French Open, but on Friday the Briton had the better of a scrappy encounter on the Queen's Club grass.

MONFILS INJURY

In the second set the four-times Wimbledon semi-finalist was a set point down. Tursunov, though, double-faulted and Henman rattled through the tiebreak 7-1, sealing victory with a big forehand.

"He's beaten me on a couple of big occasions and he's an awkward guy to play against, so it's good to get through and continue my form," said 31-year-old Henman.

"I feel good about my game. After struggling on grass the last two years I do feel much more comfortable."

Like Nadal, French teenager Gael Monfils also quit his quarter-final against American James Blake [ Images ] due to injury.

The 19-year-old had lost the first set 6-1 to Blake when he retired with a back injury. A tournament spokesman said Monfils would not play in next week's Nottingham grasscourt event.

Blake will play the winner of the last quarter-final between defending champion Andy Roddick [ Images ] and Chilean Fernando Gonzalez [ Images ].