Rafael Nadal crashes out of Australian Open in first round

After a disappointing 2015 in which he failed to reach a single major semi-final, Nadal was hoping to instigate a revival in Melbourne but instead endured another agonising exit.

Fernando Verdasco rallied from a 2-1 deficit to win the last two sets, recovering a break in the fifth as well, claiming a 7-6 (6), 4-6, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2, only his third victory in 17 matches against his fellow Spanish lefthander.

Not including French Open victories, Nadal has won just one major (2013 U.S. Open) since his dominant 2010 season, when he won three of the four major tournaments. It only means that he needs more time to come back to his top form. “He took more risks than me”.

I didn’t see Rafael Nadal lose live the other night at the Australian Open first round, but I caught it on the DVR replay. “This year was a completely different story”.

Verdasco played like a man possessed in the final set, taking it 6-2 as seemingly every big shot he went for worked to great effect.

“It is tough when you work so much and arrive at a very important event and you’re going out too early”.

“It’s tough, but at the same time, I know I did everything that I can to be ready for it. Was not my day”.

MELBOURNE, Jan 19 Rafa Nadal was bundled out of the Australian Open first round on Tuesday, toppled by countryman Fernando Verdasco in a five-set marathon that left the centre court crowd stunned and the former world number one shattered.

“In terms of creating damage to the opponent with my forehand, I didn’t, so I was hitting forehands and he was able to keep hitting winners”, Nadal said. In my opinion was not the case of today.

Tuesday’s sequel on Rod Laver Arena mirrored their clash on the same court seven years ago when Nadal prevailed in five hours 14 minutes, the longest Australian Open match at the time, before going on to beat Roger Federer in the final. “I think I played unbelievable in the fifth set from the break”, Verdasco, beaten by Nadal in the 2009 semi-finals, said in a courtside interview. “You know, I was pretty pumped up before I went on”. “You have to be proactive I think with things like this and go and speak to the players rather than them reading about it in the newspapers or listening to it on the TV or the radio”.

“At the end there is many people in this world, and is impossible to control everyone”.

There were no such problems for Andy Murray though.

Australian Bernard Tomic overcame Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin in four sets but the match had to be stopped for around 15 minutes when a spectator suddenly fell ill.

Asked about an internet article suggesting unusual betting patterns around his matches, Verdasco said: “There is many things that they said about someone”.

“To me it was a positive step in the right direction, not one step forward and two steps back”. It was not a good moment to be in for me.

“Some of it will be true, some of it might not be true, but I’m always very curious with that stuff, across really all sports as well”, he said according to BBC. But we are trying – if it was up to me, I would take out the betting.

Australian favourite Lleyton Hewitt extended his career by another match after he beat compatriot James Duckworth 7-6 (7/5) 6-2 6-4.

In the women’s tournament, eighth seed Venus Williams was ousted by 24-year old Johanna Konta, who now holds the 47th place in the world rankings.

He said: “I l ive to fight another couple days”.

The 34-year-old, who won the US Open in 2001 and Wimbledon in 2002, will play No 8 seed David Ferrer next.