The king is dead: Rafael Nadal blown out at French Open - USA TODAY
The king of clay was deposed in a bloodless coup Wednesday in Paris, as Novak Djokovic pounded nine-time clay-court champion Rafael Nadal 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 to hand the Spaniard his second-ever loss at the event and just the second loss ever in a... The loss drops Nadal to a still-remarkable 70-2 lifetime at Roland Garros and 93-2 in those best-of-five matches. But it was hardly an upset, as Djokovic was heavily favored to win and extend his current winning streak to 27, thus becoming the first man to ever defeat Nadal at all four majors. He was down 0-4 to open the match, then stormed back to tie the set at 4-4, eventually saving five set points before dumping a nine-point service game at 5-6. With Djokovic complaining to the chair umpire about the condition of the courts, the two... That was confirmed when Djokovic broke Rafa in his first two service games in the third, turning the must-see match into a must-flee. Never before has Nadal looked so lost on clay (his forehand was basically non-existent) and never before has Djokovic looked so dominant (his defense was even more spectacular than usual). Nadal’s quick loss will help Djokovic conserve energy for his semifinal and final matches. Source: ftw.usatoday.com
