However, despite some miraculous achievements, there have been a few somber moments in Nadal’s illustrious career too. In this article, we’ll have a look at six instances when a player ranked outside the top four derailed Nadal’s campaign at a Grand Slam.
6. Dustin Brown
Wimbledon 2015 Fourth Round – Dustin Brown def. Rafael Nadal 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
Before this match, Dustin Brown had defeated Nadal 6-4, 6-1 at Halle in 2014. He is the only player to have a 100% record against the Spaniard. What’s more intriguing is that, so far, Nadal has had played 1000-plus matches whereas Brown, aged 33, has just played 158.
The match against Nadal at Wimbledon is the biggest win in Dustin brown’s career, who was then ranked No. 102. Nadal was a bit iffy throughout the match; his serve was a bit slower and the intermittent double faults cost him dearly. Nadal was also making regular unforced errors.
Brown, on the other hand, was returning Nadal’s serve strongly and playing some well-controlled drop shots. He also unfurled his bag of tricks by playing a bemusing lob in the third set that drew big applause from the crowd.
Brown played the match of life, and he truly deserved a famous win over Rafael Nadal.
5. Steve Darcis
Wimbledon 2013 First Round - Steve Darcis def. Rafeal Nadal 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (10-8), 6-4
Nadal looked set to go the distance in the 2013 Wimbledon after winning the French Open, where he beat Djokovic in a five-set thriller in the semifinal.
Steve Darcis is from Belgium and was ranked 135 at that time. Both players played some extraordinary shots in the first set, but there was no break of serve and the set went to a tie-breaker. A wonderful serve and volley won at 6-4 in the tie-breaker gave Darcis the first set.
The same pattern followed in the second set which went to another tie-breaker. This was more pulsating than the first set, with Nadal saving four set points until 9-8. But Darics finally converted his fifth set point after Nadal sent his forehand long.
Calamity struck when Nadal was broken in the opening game of the third set, and he was starting to look a little fatigued. But take nothing away from the sheer grit and valor of Darcis; he had work hard to win each and every point.
The Belgian served for the match at 5-4 and defeated Nadal in straight sets. In the process he became the lowest ranked player ever to beat Nadal at a Grand Slam.
4. David Ferrer
Australian Open 2011 Quarterfinal – David Ferrer def. Rafeal Nadal 6-4, 6-2, 6-3
This was the third time Nadal and Ferrer would lock horns in a Grand Slam. Both players had won a match each in their previous two encounters.
Ferrer’s fierce start set the tone for the match. The two players exchanged breaks of serve twice in the opening set. But Ferrer pressed Nadal at 5-4 to get a set point, and converted it after Nadal sent his forehand wide.
At 1-1 in the second set, Nadal broke Ferrer to lead 2-1, but Ferrer broke back to level 2-2. From then on, Ferrer went on a rampage and Nadal couldn’t come to terms with the looming disaster. He was broken twice and lost the set 6-2.
The third set also saw Ferrer dominating Nadal. Ferrer’s forehand was on song, and he broke Nadal in the second game and consolidated by holding his serve to get a 3-0 lead. After this onslaught, Nadal couldn’t mount a comeback and went on to lose the set 6-3 and with it the match in straight sets.
3. Tomas Berdych
Australian Open 2015 Quarterfinal – Tomas Berdych def. Rafeal Nadal 6-2, 6-0, 7-6(7-5)
Tomas Berdych’s previous win against Nadal before this match was back in 2006. After, Nadal won 17 consecutive matches against the Czech.
Everyone expected the same to continue in Melbourne. However, Berdych had other ideas.
He cruised in the first set; he was serving well and his forehand was rattling Nadal. He broke the Spaniard twice in the opening set and went on to win it 6-2.
The second set was a masterclass from Berdych. He became only the third player in history after Gaston Gaudio and Roger Federer to have bagelled Nadal at a Slam.
The third set was a tight affair, which saw Nadal claw his way back into the match. At 4-4, Nadal had two break points, but Berdych served well under pressure and used his forehand to ward off Nadal and hold.
The third set went into a tie-breaker which saw Berdych race to a 5-1 lead. But Nadal fought back to make it 5-4, before a poor serve resulted in Berdych slamming a powerful return to for a 6-4 lead.
At 6-5, Nadal returned a powerful serve into the net and that was game, set and match Berdych.
2. Robin Söderling
French Open 2009 Fourth Round - Robin Söderling def. Nadal 6-2, 6-7 (7-2), 6-4, 7-6 (7-2)
This was the third Grand Slam match between the two, with Nadal having won on both the previous occasions. The Spaniard was gunning for his fifth French Open crown, and everything seemed in place for him.
Soderling, seeded 23rd, was the underdog on paper, but not in reality. Soderling primarily played from the baseline, relying on his forehand and approaching the net with caution. His potent groundstrokes propelled him to break Nadal’s serve twice and close the first set 6-2.
The second set saw Nadal get an early break in third game, and he served for the set at 5-4. But the Swede soon found himself at 30-40, with a chance to break Nadal’s serve back, and he did with a sublime backhand drop shot.
The set went to a tie-breaker in which Nadal took an unassailable lead of 6-0. He won it on his third set point after Soderling sent his forehand long.
It looked like the King of Clay was back on track to go on and win the match from there. But instead, it turned out to be a slug-fest for Nadal. Soderling broke his serve in the seventh game and held to love to take the fourth set 6-4.
Nadal was clearly peeved, but the prospect of a fifth set looked probable after he broke Soderling’s serve to lead 2-0 in the fourth set. However, Soderling broke back in the following game and took the set to a tie-breaker.
The Swede dominated Nadal in the breaker and raced to a 6-1 lead. At 6-2, the world witnessed the moment that sent a seismic tremor across the tennis fraternity. Nadal tried a drop shot on Soderling’s backhand return, only to see it sail wide.
The crowd erupted in unison to applaud the man who had just dethroned the King.
1. Juan Martín Del Potro
US Open 2009 Semifinal - Del Potro def. Nadal 6-2, 6-2, 6-2
This is arguably Nadal’s most embarrassing defeat in terms of the number of games he won.
Del Potro was in top form in 2009. He reached the French Open semifinal, only to be stopped by Roger Federer. But in New York, he would not be denied.
In the semifinal, Del Potro absolutely manhandled Nadal. He broke Nadal twice in the opening set, hitting some astounding forehand and backhand winners. No matter what Nadal threw at him, Del Potro came back with more vengeance to put the Spaniard in an untenable position.
The second and third sets were a carbon copy of the first set, all of which Nadal lost 6-2. No other player has ever annihilated Nadal the way the Argentine did in this match.
Del Potro carried his red-hot form into the US Open final where he beat Federer in five sets to win his maiden Grand Slam.
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