Sorry, ladies... dreamboat Rafa suffers nightmare exit
WORLD No 2 Rafael Nadal was sensationally knocked out of Wimbledon last night after an epic five-set battle lasting almost five hours.
Watched by girlfriend Xisca Perello, the Spanish heartthrob went two sets down to Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller, who is ranked 26th, before forcing the tie to a fifth set.
Muller was the first player to beat a raw Nadal at Wimbledon back in 2005 before the Spaniard found his form and went on to win 15 Grand Slams.
Last night Nadal, 31, apologised to a crowd that continued cheering for him until the end – and vowed to return to Wimbledon.
Holding back tears, he said: ‘Great feeling, great atmosphere. I put everything on the court. I played with all my passion. The crowd normally appreciate that.
‘Just thanks for the support. That’s it, I tried. Sorry for the crowd that were supporting me, but it was great to feel the support of all of them.
‘I want to come back to play more times on Centre Court.’ The Court One match lasted four hours and 4 minutes before Muller, 34, triumphed 1513 in the last set as sun set at SW19.
The game matched the length of the 200 final when Nadal beat Roger Federer – but neither compares with 2010, when John Isner beat Nicolas Mahut in 11 hours and five minutes over three days.