{"id":20643,"date":"2013-06-25T10:58:52","date_gmt":"2013-06-25T08:58:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/nadals-stunning-loss-at-wimbledon\/"},"modified":"2013-06-25T10:58:52","modified_gmt":"2013-06-25T08:58:52","slug":"nadals-stunning-loss-at-wimbledon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/nadals-stunning-loss-at-wimbledon\/","title":{"rendered":"Nadal\u2019s stunning loss at Wimbledon"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t \"Rafael<\/a><\/p>\n

Rafael Nadal<\/a> at Wimbledon<\/a>. Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth, AP<\/p>\n

Rafael Nadal\u2019s loss in the first round of Wimbledon to Steve Darcis<\/a> marks the third time in the past four years he\u2019s been the victim of one of the biggest upsets in tennis history.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s consider how much of a shocker this really was:<\/p>\n

– Darcis had seven wins in Grand Slam<\/a> matches entering Wimbledon. Nadal had seven wins at the French Open earlier this month.<\/p>\n

\u2013 It\u2019s Nadal\u2019s worst loss since losing to world No. 690 Joachim Johansson in 2006.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Nadal had never lost in the opening round of a Grand Slam.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Darcis was 2-6 in 2013 entering Monday\u2019s match. In April and May he lost matches to players ranked Nos. 163, 164 and 350.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Nadal had made the final of every tournament he played in 2013.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Career earnings: Nadal, $55.7 million; Darcis, $1.7 million.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Career titles: Nadal, 57; Darcis, 2.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Darcis spent 11 weeks inside in the ATP top 50. Nadal spent 102 weeks at No. 1.<\/p>\n

Does this make the Darcis upset bigger than when Nadal lost to Robin Soderling<\/a> in the 2009 French Open and Lukas Rosol in the second round of last year\u2019s Wimbledon? Not quite. It\u2019s still an enormous achievement for Darcis and a baffling loss for Nadal, but it doesn\u2019t measure up to those previous defeats.<\/p>\n

Taking nothing away from Darcis, Nadal was visibly hobbled on Monday.\u00a0The effects of a bruising clay court season were evident.<\/p>\n

Darcis played spectacular tennis, but wasn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

Nadal\u2019s loss to Soderling at Roland Garros remains the biggest upset in modern tennis history.<\/p>\n

Even though we later found out Nadal was injured and dealing with emotional turmoil resulting from his parent\u2019s separation and that Soderling was a top-five talent, that loss still resonates. It\u2019s the only defeat Nadal has ever suffered at the French Open. \u2013 USA Today<\/a><\/p>\n

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