Nadal’s stunning loss at Wimbledon MyZA

Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon. Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth, AP

Rafael Nadal’s loss in the first round of Wimbledon to Steve Darcis marks the third time in the past four years he’s been the victim of one of the biggest upsets in tennis history.

Let’s consider how much of a shocker this really was:

– Darcis had seven wins in Grand Slam matches entering Wimbledon. Nadal had seven wins at the French Open earlier this month.

– It’s Nadal’s worst loss since losing to world No. 690 Joachim Johansson in 2006.

– Nadal had never lost in the opening round of a Grand Slam.

– Darcis was 2-6 in 2013 entering Monday’s match. In April and May he lost matches to players ranked Nos. 163, 164 and 350.

– Nadal had made the final of every tournament he played in 2013.

– Career earnings: Nadal, $55.7 million; Darcis, $1.7 million.

– Career titles: Nadal, 57; Darcis, 2.

– Darcis spent 11 weeks inside in the ATP top 50. Nadal spent 102 weeks at No. 1.

Does this make the Darcis upset bigger than when Nadal lost to Robin Soderling in the 2009 French Open and Lukas Rosol in the second round of last year’s Wimbledon? Not quite. It’s still an enormous achievement for Darcis and a baffling loss for Nadal, but it doesn’t measure up to those previous defeats.

Taking nothing away from Darcis, Nadal was visibly hobbled on Monday. The effects of a bruising clay court season were evident.

Darcis played spectacular tennis, but wasn’t transcendent in the way Soderling and Rosol were in their upset victories. Whether fair or not, the talk will be about how poorly Nadal played, not what Darcis did to cause it.

Nadal’s loss to Soderling at Roland Garros remains the biggest upset in modern tennis history.

Even though we later found out Nadal was injured and dealing with emotional turmoil resulting from his parent’s separation and that Soderling was a top-five talent, that loss still resonates. It’s the only defeat Nadal has ever suffered at the French Open. – USA Today