Shock! Rafael Nadal Loses In Second Round Of Wimbledon To—Wait, Who? Lukas Rosol!
So: Greatest upset in Grand Slam history?
Sorry to trot this one out, but this is Buster Douglas and Mike Tyson territory, right? Here's what we know: Rafael Nadal just lost in the second round of Wimbledon to ... Lukas Rosol. He's Czech, apparently. He's 26, which means he's not some rising young star. He's a random pro who just knocked off Rafael Nadal. It's the first time Rafa has lost in the second round of a Grand Slam since 2005—the first year that he played in all four majors. He was 19.
Rosol took a two sets to one lead, and then—as always happens—Nadal absolutely dominated the Czech in the fourth set. So business as usual. Second-round scare for the two-time Wimbledon champ and then he comes in and heroically closes out.
But then the Wimbledon people fucked with Nadal. With another 40-45 minutes of daylight left, they decided to close the roof, so a fifth set could be completed without interruption. This required a 30-minute delay. Nadal was pissed (as he was at the French Final when they made him play in the rain and Djokovic made that amazing comeback in the third). Rafa lost all of his momentum.
And then Rosol—a journeyman whose best achievement in a Grand Slam was the third round at the French last year—played ... the most insane tennis ever in the fifth set. Totally fearless. A booming forehand (some of those were del Potro-esque). Seven aces in the fifth (including on match point). And remarkable pace of play—when was the last time someone rushed Rafa?
Alert to Roger Federer: If you can somehow bypass Novak Djokovic, you may now have your last great chance to win Wimbledon. And alert to the rest of the men: for the first time in a really long time, there is complete chaos on one side of the draw.
Can anyone think of a bigger upset in a Grand Slam?
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