Wimbledon 2013: Rafael Nadal Upset in First Round, Loses to Belgian Steve Darcis
The 2013 Wimbledon championships kicked off in London today, but for two-time champion Rafael Nadal, competition ended almost as soon as it started. In a stunning upset, Steve Darcis beat the accomplished Spanish tennis star in the first round.
Darcis is ranked 135th in the world, and many were expecting the first round of competition to be a walk in the park for Nadal. After all, Nadal won Wimbledon in 2008 and 2010, and has never been eliminated in the first round at any point in his career.
Darcis aced Nadal, winning quickly in just three rounds of competition. The first round was close, but went to the Belgian underdog with a score of 7-6. The second round was equally close, but again, Darcis prevailed, winning 7-6 yet again. And in what would be the final round of play for Nadal, Darcis took the match 6-4.
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Darcis was humble in his huge victory and showed respect for his opponent.
"Rafa Nadal didn't play his best tennis today. The first match on grass is always difficult. It's his first one. Of course, it's a big win. I tried to come to the net as soon as I could, not play too far from the baseline. I think it worked pretty good today," Darcis said, according to CBS News.
Nadal's loss could perhaps be due to an injury that kept him out of commission for over six months. At last year's Wimbledon, the Spanish star suffered an injury to his left knee, which caused him to be eliminated in just the second round of play.
Darcis will advance to the second round, as will many big names, including Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Jo Wilfried Tsonga, and John Isner, ESPN reported.
