MELBOURNE, Australia — With Rafael Nadal’s dominance flickering with increasing frequency at major tournaments, more players have won a moment in the spotlight over the past four years by beating the former No. 1. But each time, the glow quickly dims.
Starting at Wimbledon in 2012, when he lost to 100th-ranked Lukas Rosol, Nadal has lost to a lower-ranked player eight times in a Grand Slam match. And every time, that player has followed that upset by losing or withdrawing from his next Grand Slam match.
The latest to fall to that pattern was Fernando Verdasco, who struck 90 winners in a thunderous five-set performance against Nadal on Tuesday afternoon at the Australian Open as he won the final six straight games in a match that lasted four hours, 41 minutes.