Relentless Muller downs Nadal
Muller beats Nadal in 4hour48minute marathon; Djokovic in QFs
LONDON:Rafael Nadal’s hopes of a third Wimbledon crown sank with the setting sun as Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller returned to haunt the Spaniard with a nervejangling 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 15-13 victory in a fourth-round classic on Monday.
Twelve years after first getting the better of Nadal on the All England Club lawns -- since when his career has trundled along in unspectacular fashion -- 16th seed Muller stood firm in 135minute fifth set of interminable tension.Nine times in that heartpounding decider, 31-year-old French Open champion Nadal served to stay alive.
Men of lesser resolve than the 34-year-old Muller would have cracked -- but the left-handed serve-and-volleyer was relentless in pursuit of victory and it was 15-time Grand Slam champion Nadal who succumbed when asked to walk the tightrope for the 10th time at 13-14.
A mishit forehand gave Muller two more match points and this time there was no escape for Nadal as another error off his trusty weapon ballooned over the baseline.
Muller stood motionless for a few seconds, taking in the enormity of his victory as the Court One crowd which has spent the past two hours on the edge of their seats, rose as one.
He struck 30 aces and 95 winners as he moved on to a quarterfinal with Marin Cilic -- his second in majors after reaching the last eight at the 2008 U.S. Open.
Nadal has now failed to get past the fourth round since losing the 2011 final to Novak Djokovic, whose match against Adrian Mannarino was postponed to Tuesday because of the late-running drama taking place on Court One.
Since then Nadal has lost to the likes of Lukas Rosol, Steve Darcis and Nick Kyrgios but this year, having claimed a 10th French Open, the Spaniard arrived at Wimbledon in peak form and fitness and looked a good bet for the title.Muller harassed Nadal from the start and took the first set with a single break of serve in the sixth game. Nadal made a mess of an attempted dropshot to give Muller a break at 4-4 in the second set and the man from Luxembourg moved two sets ahead when Nadal netted a backhand.
When Nadal broke early in the third though it signalled a shift in momentum that took the match to a deciding set in which logic suggested the Spaniard would dominate.Nadal was forced to save two match points, one with an ace, at 4-5, then two more again at 9-10, the first with a steadfast volley after moving Muller around the court. Muller came under fire at 6-6, saving a break point, and fought off four break points in an absorbing 18th game.
DJOKOVIC SURVIVES INJURY, BLASTS COURT
Three-time champion Novak Djokovic overcame an injury scare to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the ninth time on Tuesday and then lashed out at the Centre Court, claiming a hole has opened up on the famous surface.The second seed needed treatment on his long-standing right shoulder injury during his 6-2, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 win over France’s Adrian Mannarino. But as well as worrying about the state of his shoulder, the 30-year-old slammed the poor quality of the All England Club courts.