By Bill Simons
When history is written, four things can be said about Rafa Nadal.
He was a humble hunk. He was a battler. Every point was a war. He was the best clay court player in history and, to his everlasting credit, he joyfully embraced the challenge of grass court play.
He never got snarky and told us that grass was meant for cows. This was not just another Spanish claymeister who kissed off the All England Club.
Rather, he kissed the Challenge Cup trophy twice, and was in the final for five of six years. He changed the game. Wimbledon should give him a gold star, or something.
But before us this bittersweet afternoon was not the same sublime Rafa Nadal who we relished when he prevailed in the greatest match of all-time, dethroning grass king Federer in the dusk in 2008.
Goodness, have times changed.
The Spanish tennis god was now ranked No. 10. As he struggled today, broadcaster Nick Lester said, “We’ve read this book before. Nadal’s on grass [facing] a big flashy player, a big server.”
Before us, in the second round, we saw the the fastest player on the tour, Dustin Brown, playing the slowest man on the tour—Rafa. And the man whose astounding dreadlocks reach down below his waist wasted little time, dismissing Nadal.
All of Wimbledon was shocked. “Henman Hill is heaving,” said Sonia McClaughlin. Centre Court was in shock.
Maybe it shouldn’t have been.
Yes, Brown was ranked No. 102, a lowly qualifier. But Rafa had been blown off the court in the second-round in 2012 by the streaking Czech Lukas Rosol, No. 100. Then in 2013 he lost in the first round to Belgian Steve Darcis, No. 135. Last year he fell to No. 144 Nick Kyrgios. Get the pattern?
Plus, Rafa has been struggling hugely this year. Before the French Open, Pat McEnroe was unsparing. “It could be a very quick fall for him. Obviously his heart and his commitment will be there. If his body and his mind start to break down, then that would be his downfall. If reality sets in in a way that he doesn’t think he can do it anymore, he could be done pretty quickly.”
John McEnroe was even more gloomy. In the wake of Rafa’s loss to Djokovic at Roland Garros, he said, “Nadal should no longer play the French Open for the rest of his career … the aura has been broken.”
But not so quick. Rafa has collected 14 Slams, he’d won the Stuttgart grass court warmup, and today he was playing a Rastafarian more known for his off-court narrative. While honing his craft, Brown engaged in five years of wanderlust in a VW camper van. He has a tattoo of his Dad on his stomach, and (sorry, Andre Agassi, Yannick Noah, Bjorn Borg and Anna Kournikova) the most wildly spectacular hair in the history of this often well-shorn game.
Okay, he’s not exactly your stuffy grandfather’s tennis icon. Still, the man who once moved to Montego Bay moved us when he told Inside Tennis, with appropriate pride, “I am the way I am.”
Nice.
But could Brown deliver?
He was the ultimate journeyman and had played in precious few big tourneys.
But the flashy fellow does love grass. He has a win over Lleyton Hewitt, and last year he beat Nadal in straight sets on the lawns of Halle. Going into today’s match he was one of just three active players (along with Kyrgios and Borna Coric) to boast a 1-0 record against the Spaniard.
Plus, Brown himself informed us that he plays “shocking tennis”—sometimes shockingly good, sometimes shockingly bad.
Today he was good—real good.
He knew his game plan. Hit freely, take chances, serve big (even on the second serve), and don’t give Rafa time to set up, to fall into a rhythm and to blast his punishing forehand. And be bold. He asked the slow-moving Nadal, “I’m ready [to play], are you?
All the while, Brown’s returns of serve—sometimes step-in blasts, sometimes inspired drop shots—continually confused Nadal. He handcuffed Rafa one moment and fooled him the next. “Nadal is absolutely flummoxed,” reported broadcaster Judy Dalton. “He’s feeling the pressure, because he doesn’t know what Dustin is going to do. Then again, neither does Dustin.”
Nadal broke early in the match, but then his serve faltered and Brown blasted his way to a 7-5 first-set victory. Rafa rallied to win the second set, 6-3. But his forehand was errant. He lost confidence in his money shot and lost most of the numerous scramble points. Afterward, he confided that even in the middle of the match he knew his cause was doomed.
No, he didn’t cry uncle, but he looked up to his Uncle Toni as Brown blasted 128 mph second serves, squash-shot forehand winners and a leaping backhand overhead that caused Rafa to wince.
Going for everything—intense and animated—he held with ease and seemed to take the racket right out of Nadal’s considerable hands, scoring the biggest win of his career, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
“Dustin, you just gave me the chills,” Sloane Stephens tweeted, right after match point.
John McEnroe said Brown’s triumph was “one of the greatest performances from an unknown player that I’ve ever seen.” The analyst was thrilled by Brown’s unwavering belief and aggressive play, adding that the German’s serve-and-volley play might inspire kids across the globe. “You know something, maybe this style can work at Wimbledon,” proclaimed the whimsical Mac.
But on this day Rafael Nadal clearly knew something else. In his press conference, the Spaniard was truly drained and disconsolate—shellshocked in a manner that was different from the way he’d been after any of his previous losses. He didn’t really mumble, but the man knew he had been humbled.
The brave pioneer who changed how much of the world looked at Wimbledon now told us that in the past he was able to rationalize his Centre Court collapses to bad knees or conditioning. But not on this momentous July day.
He was ready, but he was not ready.
He just could not turn around the Brown storm that descended in London.
Now tennis wondered, can Rafa “The Bull” Nadal turn around his free-fall and possibly bully his way back to the top?
Millions hope so.
