You know you're getting old when you're calling for the trainer during the warmup. That was Wayne Arthurs on Friday, the oldest man in the draw, in getting treatment on his right leg before his match had even begun.

Arthurs really captured the locals' imagination here with his run to the third round at the ripe old age of 35, an Aussie stalwart who rode a huge serve and simple perserverance further than anyone would expected. He'd already announced this would be his last Australian Open, so each match was watched with a poignant eye because it could be his last on home soil.

It looked like the writing was on the wall early on: a stomach bug meant he hadn't been able to eat for more than 24 hours before his opening match, and he began by dropping the first two sets

But he won that match, then his second, and there was a small frenzy developing by the time he took to the court against Mardy Fish in the third round. TV crews were arriving at his house to film him cooking breakfast, the papers had him on the front of the sports page, and Margaret Court Arena was packed with chanting fans all waiting for "the Wayne event."

Not surprisingly, he desperately wanted to be fit enough to put on a good show. Ironically, it's also why he wasn't.

After receiving treatment, Arthurs began the match but it was quickly clear that he could hardly move. Stumbling on his right leg, shaking his head, and fighting back tears, he carried on for three games before giving up.

The problem turned out not to be an injury but treatment taken for an injury, a twist which shortened the developing folk tale but gave it an end that deserves to be related by its protagonist:

I had a preexisting injury with my hip. It was getting sorer and sorer over the last, probably three days where I injured it during my second-round match. It got worse yesterday during the doubles. Went and saw Tim yesterday, their medical staff. It was an idea to have a local anaesthetic in my hip this morning. It was like a practice run for the local anaesthetic, to see how I would react to it.

I'd gone in, had the anaesthetic. Felt great during practice. Everything was fine. The hip was good. That was a short-term acting anaesthetic which wore off within the hour type of thing. Went to have another one, which was a pre-plan, as well, which was going to be a longer-lasting, three- to four-hour type of anaesthetic. Had that probably 15 minutes before the match, which was all right, on queue.

Went on the court. I had a reaction to the anaesthetic and had no coordination, no feelings in my right leg at all. Just completely gone on the right side. As you could see, I couldn't coordinate at all on the right side.

...I've been told it's a one-in-a-thousand thing. I've reacted to it like one in a thousand person would. I'm not putting blame on anybody.

...Couldn't believe it actually. I couldn't really believe that this is the way that my last Aussie Open was going to finish. I looked up the crowd as I went out. The flags, Aussie stuff everywhere. It was an amazing atmosphere.

...I wanted to battle on. It started to rain. I thought, 'here we go, this is sort of a godsend here.' [But] it wasn't raining hard enough. My body just wouldn't let me run to the ball. I'd see the ball, and it just wouldn't go where I wanted it to go. I really didn't want to walk off that court at that moment. I knew there was nothing I could do.

As always in tennis, someone's loss is someone else's gain. Arthurs' retirement sent Mardy Fish into the fourth round. Defeating a crippled 35-year-old isn't the most heroic way to record your best-ever Grand Slam result, but he'll take it.