Two-time champion Rafael Nadal was stunned by 102nd-ranked Dustin Brown in the second round of Wimbledon. The German outplayed Rafa on Centre Court, serving and volleying his way to a 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory.
Rafael Nadal of Spain returns a ball to Dustin Brown of Germany during their singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Thursday July 2, 2015. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)
Rafael Nadal of Spain prepares to serve during his match against Dustin Brown of Germany at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, July 2, 2015. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
Rafael Nadal of Spain hits a shot during his match against Dustin Brown of Germany at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, July 2, 2015. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
Rafael Nadal of Spain gestures after losing a point to Dustin Brown of Germany during their singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Thursday July 2, 2015. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts in his Gentlemens Singles Second Round match against Dustin Brown of Germany during day four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 2, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: Rafael Nadal of Spain plays a volley in his Gentlemens Singles Second Round match against Dustin Brown of Germany during day four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 2, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: Rafael Nadal of Spain plays a volley in his Gentlemens Singles Second Round match against Dustin Brown of Germany during day four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 2, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts in his Gentlemens Singles Second Round match against Dustin Brown of Germany during day four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 2, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates winning a point against Dustin Brown of Germany during their singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Thursday July 2, 2015. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts in his Gentlemens Singles Second Round match against Dustin Brown of Germany during day four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 2, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts during his match against Dustin Brown of Germany at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, July 2, 2015. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates after winning the second set during his match against Dustin Brown of Germany at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, July 2, 2015. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: Xisca Perello attends the Dustin Brown v Rafael Nadal match on day four of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at Wimbledon on July 2, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: Xisca Perello attends the Dustin Brown v Rafael Nadal match on day four of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at Wimbledon on July 2, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: Xisca Perello (L), girlfriend of Rafael Nadal and Benito Perez Barbadillo (R), Rafael Nadal’s agent watches Rafael Nadal of Spain and Dustin Brown of Germany during their Gentlemens Singles Second Round match during day four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 2, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
Spain’s Rafael Nadal reacts after returning a shot that was called out during his men’s singles first round match against Brazil’s Thomaz Bellucci on day two of the 2015 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on June 30, 2015. RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE — AFP PHOTO / ADRIAN DENNIS
Rafael Nadal of Spain serves during his match against Dustin Brown of Germany at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, July 2, 2015. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts during his Gentlemens Singles Second Round match against Dustin Brown of Germany during day four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 2, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
Rafael Nadal of Spain hits a smash during his match against Dustin Brown of Germany at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, July 2, 2015. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: Rafael Nadal of Spain plays a backhand in his Gentlemens Singles Second Round match against Dustin Brown of Germany during day four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 2, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: Rafael Nadal of Spain serves in his Gentlemens Singles Second Round match against Dustin Brown of Germany during day four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 2, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts in his Gentlemens Singles Second Round match against Dustin Brown of Germany during day four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 2, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts in his Gentlemens Singles Second Round match against Dustin Brown of Germany during day four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 2, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: Rafael Nadal of Spain plays a backhand in his Gentlemens Singles Second Round match against Dustin Brown of Germany during day four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 2, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
Spain’s Rafael Nadal reacts after a point against Germany’s Dustin Brown during their men’s singles second round match on day four of the 2015 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 2, 2015 (AFP Photo/Glyn Kirk)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts in his Gentlemens Singles Second Round match against Dustin Brown of Germany during day four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 2, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: Rafael Nadal of Spain plays a backhand volley in his Gentlemens Singles Second Round match against Dustin Brown of Germany during day four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 2, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: Rafael Nadal of Spain serves in his Gentlemens Singles Second Round match against Dustin Brown of Germany during day four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 2, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: Rafael Nadal of Spain serves in his Gentlemens Singles Second Round match against Dustin Brown of Germany during day four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 2, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: Rafael Nadal of Spain sits in his chair between games in his Gentlemens Singles Second Round match against Dustin Brown of Germany during day four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 2, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: Rafael Nadal of Spain sits in his chair between games in his Gentlemens Singles Second Round match against Dustin Brown of Germany during day four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 2, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: Rafael Nadal of Spain sits in his chair between games in his Gentlemens Singles Second Round match against Dustin Brown of Germany during day four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 2, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: Rafael Nadal of Spain sits in his chair between games in his Gentlemens Singles Second Round match against Dustin Brown of Germany during day four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 2, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: Rafael Nadal of Spain sits in his chair between games in his Gentlemens Singles Second Round match against Dustin Brown of Germany during day four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 2, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: Rafael Nadal (R) of Spain shakes hands with Dustin Brown of Germany after losing his Gentlemens Singles Second Round match during day four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 2, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
Rafael Nadal of Spain, right, and Dustin Brown of Germany shakes hands at the net after Brown defeated Nadal in their singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Thursday July 2, 2015. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts during his Gentlemens Singles Second Round match against Dustin Brown of Germany during day four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 2, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: Rafael Nadal of Spainleaves the court dejected after losing his Gentlemens Singles Second Round match against Dustin Brown of Germany during day four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 2, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 02: Rafael Nadal of Spainleaves the court dejected after losing his Gentlemens Singles Second Round match against Dustin Brown of Germany during day four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 2, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
Rafael Nadal of Spain, right, and Dustin Brown of Germany leave the court after Brown defeated Nadal in their singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Thursday July 2, 2015. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Are some of you really fans as it seems to me you love him when he is winning but make awful comments when he loses and you seem to have all the answers but none of you are professional players who have achieved in life what Rafa has if you truly are fans you would love him win or lose
So let me get this straight:
When all-time great Jimmy Connors replaced his mother with a real professional coach, he was disrespecting his mom?!?!?
When all-time great Chris Evert replaced her father with a real professional coach, she was disrespecting her dad?!?!?
When all-time great doubles team Bob & Mike Bryan replaced their father with a real professional coach, they were disrespecting their dad?!?!?
When all-time greats Serena & Venus Williams replaced their father, and later their mother, with real professional coaches, they were disrespecting their parents?!?!?
When all-time great Andy Murray replaced his mother with a real professional coach, he was disrespecting his mom?!?!?
When all-time great Maria Sharapova replaced her father with a real professional coach, she was disrespecting her dad?!?!?
The list goes on of all-time great players who did the same. The notion that these players were somehow disrespectful, disloyal, ungrateful or unthankful to their familial coaches is absolutely ludicrous.
Unlike Rafa and Uncle Toni, the aforementioned pairings understood the big picture – the ultimate goal – which is to maximize the player’s accomplishments, not the coach’s. The coach is there to help the player achieve his goals, not vice versa. When that’s no longer possible, the coach should step aside, or be forced to do so.
It’s long past due that Rafa replaced Uncle Toni with a real professional coach. But he stubbornly, foolishly, and childishly refuses to do so. To the massive detriment of BOTH of their legacies.
VAMOS!!!
You and I are idiots according to the ‘fans’ here. While we were dead right in our analysis of his R1 match. The Brazilian played a bad match and Rafa was below par, just like he’s been for 13 months. Quit or change coach!!!
Sad for you, Rafa for your loss. Didn’t expect you to lose. It’s Ok. We keep trying. But seriously you need to start with serve n volley. Please do something. Will always be your fan.
Love you rafa 💜, .
So sad.Mallorca must be crying.
I am so very much affected by this loss. Watching Brown in previous matches, I knew Rafa would have a hard time playing him. He plays at a fast pace, not giving Rafa a chance to settle down and sometimes hitting the ball straight at Rafa’s body or feet, which I personally find rude. I don’t play tennis so I don’t know if deliberately hitting the ball straight at your opponent’s body or feet to win a point is a good strategy.
The commentators for the Philippines were saying in not so many words that maybe Rafa should already start thinking and decide on what to do about his game, like changing his coach. Uncle Toni has been so much a part of Rafa;s career and as some of you said, made him what he is and how he is today but I think we all have to admit that without Uncle Toni around, Rafa would not feel secure. So I think he should just get a consultant coach to help him (Maybe Borg or Moya, who are both his friends). Today’s new breed of players play fast-paced games, hitting balls early so that their opponents don;t have time to settle down. That’s exactly what happened to Rafa last night. Actually, Rafa has nothing more to prove because he done it all – he has even done what the others have not done in their careers. But if he wants to continue playing, he should start thinking of how he can change his game.
I really feel so bad but nevertheless, I am still a big Rafa fan and always will be.
I hope he gets a good draw and does better at the US Open.
Rafa I am sad that you lost and so will be your millions of fans across the world but we will never give up on you. Thanks for all those moments when you showed us the beauty of your tennis. We know you are a survivor. We will wait…