Nadal suffers shock Wimbledon defeat

Rafael Nadal crashed to his worst Grand Slam defeat in seven years yesterday when Czech journeyman Lukas Rosol, the world number 100, pulled off one of the greatest upsets in Wimbledon history. Rosol, whose previous five visits to Wimbledon had ended in first round losses in qualifying, stunned the 2008 and 2010 champion, and 11-time Grand Slam title winner Nadal, 6-7 (9/11), 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in the second round. It was a stunning upset as Nadal slumped to his earliest exit at a major since the same stage of the 2005 Wimbledon championship when he was beaten by Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller. It was also eerily similar to Nadal’s stunning 2009 French Open fourth round loss to Robin Soderling when the Swede unleashed a barrage of destructive free-swinging tennis to destroy the Spanish star. “It’s like a miracle for me. So many emotions. He’s a superstar, I am sorry for that. I played unbelievable. I guess Nadal is only human,” said Rosol, who played the match at a breath-taking speed. He is also the lowest-ranked player ever to beat Nadal at a Grand Slam and has now matched his best ever performance at a major, having reached the third round at the 2011 French Open.