Verdasco upsets Nadal in Madrid
What a surprise today in Madrid... Rafael Nadal was sent packing in the third round of the Madrid Masters by Fernando Verdasco who won their encounter by 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.
It was Rafa´s first defeat of the clay court season after he won titles in Monte Carlo and Barcelona.
Verdasco broke Rafa seven times and clubbed 31 winners to his opponent's 19 to set up a quarterfinal clash against Tomas Berdych.
Nadal was up 5-2 in the deciding set but twice faltered when serving for the match and Verdasco incredibly conjured another break when he converted his second match point with yet another crashing forehand.
"After losing so many times against honestly the best player on clay ever, to beat him on clay is the maximum," an emotional Verdasco said. "I don't have words."
"I never was in control of the match, I didn't know how to win a point," said Nadal.
"The movements are very important for me and here I cannot move so I cannot hit the ball the way that I want," he told a news conference after squandering a 5-2 lead in the final set.
"The ATP and the tournament can do what they want," he added. "I tried my best to prepare but I wasn't good enough to adapt my game to this court.
"The only thing that I know is that if things continue like this I am very sad but next year will be one less tournament in my calendar."
"I lost because I deserved to lose today," Nadal said.
"Even when I was 5-2 ahead and I had a chance to close the match I didn't know how to do it. He played better than me and he beat me, that's it."
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