London: Two-time champion Rafa Nadal crashed out in the second round of Wimbledon on Thursday after being out-muscled and out-thought in four sets by an inspired Dustin Brown of Germany.
The Spaniard, who has slipped down the sport’s pecking order and was seeded 10 after a year of injury and below-par performances, fell 7-5 3-6 6-4 6-4 as world No. 102 Brown unleashed a barrage of thunderous serves and ground strokes, mixed with clever drop shots.
Brown, who had beaten Nadal in the pair’s only other meeting, looked to rush the Spaniard from the start, blasting winners at every opportunity and squeezing Nadal at the net to cut off his options in an unorthodox style that had the Wimbledon crowd in raptures.
Qualifier Brown, who sealed victory with a thumping ace, heads into the third round at Wimbledon for the second time, equalling his best Grand Slam performance.