I will admit to not seeing this one coming, even though in retrospect, the signs were all there.
Nadal admitted himself earlier this year that he was not nearly as good as he used to be. Still, despite losing at the French Open to Djokovic, he looked tough, and it was not unthinkable that he was a serious contender there to win.
So he lost at the quarterfinal, but he was returning to Wimbledon, where he might not be as dominant as he has traditionally been at Rolland Garros, but he still won two titles on the grass courts of the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world.
Yet, he was not seen by most as a serious title contender there. I admittedly wondered why. After all, people had underestimated Nadal before, and he kept finding ways to win. Early in his career, he was seen as strictly a clay court specialist. But he got better on other surfaces, including on grass, when he qualified for the WImbledone Final. But he lost to Federer, understandably. Federer was perhaps the best ever on grass, so that was okay. Nadal was not going to be able to beat Federer at Wimbledon.
Only the nest year, in 2008, that is exactly what he did, in what was probably the most epic match in tennis history. He outlasted Federer, and hoisted the golden trophy of Wimbledon at Centre Court.
He was injured in 2009, but made it again in 2010, winning a second time around.
Nadal was the top ranked tennis player in 2008 and 2010, and again in 2013.
But he struggled since with injuries. He had recovered before obviously, and has earned numerous incredible distinctions. A career Grand Slam, one of only seven men in history to achieve that feat. A career Golden Slam (winning all Grand Slams, as well as the Olympic Gold Medal in men's singles competition), joining only Andre Agassi as the only two men in history to have achieved that feat. He piled up 14 Grand Slam titles overall, was ranked number one for years overall, won a record nine French Open titles (more titles there than any other man has won at any other Grand Slam championship), and was generally probably the second most accomplished tennis player in history, right behind his biggest rival, Roger Federer. And he had a winning record against Federer, one of the few men who can boast that distinction.
So, why underestimate him going into this Wimbledon.
But alas, indeed, Nadal is showing the wear and tear of the injuries, and the physical toll of his years grinding it out at the highest level in the sport.
And when he easily won in straight sets in the first round, it looked indeed like he was making a statement. Despite being overlooked, unfairly it seemed, he was a serious contender here at Wimbledon.
When he met German Dustin Brown in the second round earlier today, however, all hell broke loose.
Nadal lost the first set, but he did recover to win the second set, tying things up.
From that point on, Brown was able to take advantage of Nadal's weaknesses, and he managed to win the next two tight sets, beating Nadal 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, to shock one of the greatest tennis players ever. Brown in a qualifier, and Nadal had never lost to a qualifier in a Grand Slam event before.
Yet, there is some continuity here. Nadal has shockingly been ousted now four times in a row at Wimbledon in early rounds to a man ranked 100th or worse. Brown is ranked number 102nd in the world.
Nadal lost in the second round in 2012 to number 100 Lucas Rosol. The next year, he exited in the first round against 135th ranked Steve Darcis. Last year, he made it to the 4th round, before losing to 144th ranked Nick Kyrgios. Now, for the fourth year in a row, Nadal loses early at Wimbledon, ousted by 102nd ranked Dustin Brown, who scores easily the biggest win of his 12-year career, and who now sports a rather shocking 2-0 career mark against Nadal.
I still say that you cannot underestimate the heart of a champion. But this is a devastating setback for Nadal, coming on the heels of a disappointing French Open exit after a record run the previous decade. He is not getting younger, and the wear and tear does seem to have taken it's toll on the champion, one of the greatest men's tennis players in history.
Let's see if he can dig deep and find a way to reach his old form again sometime in the future. He has more time than expected to work on it right now, exiting Wimbledon once again much sooner than anyone, especially him could reasonably have expected.
Dustin Brown ousts Rafael Nadal; Roger Federer, Andy Murray advance by ESPN News Service, July 2, 2015:
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