Wimbledon 2015: Writers Awards – Biggest Upset
CHRISTOPHER WEIS. 4. <p>As tempted as I am to give this also to Garbine Muguruza for going to the final, I am going to give this to the dreadlocked German-Jamaican qualifier <strong>Dustin Brown</strong> for his second round win against <strong>Rafael Nadal</strong>.</p> <p>This makes the fourth consecutive year that Nadal has lost at Wimbledon to an opponent ranked 100<sup>th</sup> in the world or lower. This just does not seem like it should be happening with this consistency. Nadal won Wimbledon in 2010 and went to the final against Djokovic in 2011 before this disastrous string.</p><div class=. Writer. Lob and Smash
This loss, coupled with his straight sets defeat to Djokovic at the French Open, has many people wondering if Nadal is on the decline. His brand of tennis that he has played throughout his career—the charging, swashbuckling intensity and energy that has characterized Nadal—certainly has probably put more wear on him than Federer’s more graceful style.
An interesting note: Federer has won only one Grand Slam title at the age of 29 or older, which was his 2012 Wimbledon title against Andy Murray. Federer, however, had to contend with younger players in their prime, namely the other three members of the Big Four. Nadal, on the other hand, does not have to worry about that as much, as there is a seeming shortage of younger talent in men’s tennis right now.
His form, however, has been extremely worrisome this year and he’ll soon look to the American hardcourts to try to get things going his way before the U.S. Open. To me, seeing Nadal lose another match to an inferior opponent has to rank as the biggest shock of the tournament.
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As tempted as I am to give this also to Garbine Muguruza for going to the final, I am going to give this to the dreadlocked German-Jamaican qualifier Dustin Brown for his second round win against Rafael Nadal.
This makes the fourth consecutive year that Nadal has lost at Wimbledon to an opponent ranked 100th in the world or lower. This just does not seem like it should be happening with this consistency. Nadal won Wimbledon in 2010 and went to the final against Djokovic in 2011 before this disastrous string.
This loss, coupled with his straight sets defeat to Djokovic at the French Open, has many people wondering if Nadal is on the decline. His brand of tennis that he has played throughout his career—the charging, swashbuckling intensity and energy that has characterized Nadal—certainly has probably put more wear on him than Federer’s more graceful style.
An interesting note: Federer has won only one Grand Slam title at the age of 29 or older, which was his 2012 Wimbledon title against Andy Murray. Federer, however, had to contend with younger players in their prime, namely the other three members of the Big Four. Nadal, on the other hand, does not have to worry about that as much, as there is a seeming shortage of younger talent in men’s tennis right now.
His form, however, has been extremely worrisome this year and he’ll soon look to the American hardcourts to try to get things going his way before the U.S. Open. To me, seeing Nadal lose another match to an inferior opponent has to rank as the biggest shock of the tournament.
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