Verdasco sends Nadal out in 1st round of Australian Open

87 in the world, who lost to the 14-time Grand Slam victor in the third round in 2015, his best major performance in more than five years, will instead play Verdasco, who faces a race against time to recover from a four-hour and 41 minute battle with his countryman.

That year, he fought off Verdasco in another 5-set epic which clocked in at 5 hours, 14 minutes – the second longest match in tournament history – in the semi-finals.

Verdasco hit a total of 90 winners in the match to Nadal’s 37. The opening round match between fifth seed Rafael Nadal and compatriot Fernando Verdasco was considered a can’t-miss match so early on in the tournament, and it ended up being one for the ages as Nadal found himself on the losing end of a five-set thriller. But at 2-1 sets down going into the fourth, Verdasco may have figured that if he is to lose again to Nadal he might as well go down swinging. He started playing less deep and strong.

“I just started hitting winners, I don’t know how”, a jubilant Verdasco said afterwards.

Andy Murray, a four-time finalist who is seeking his first title in Melbourne, dispatched Germany’s Alexander Zverev 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 in hot conditions to move into the second round.

“To win against Rafa here, coming from two-sets-to-one down is an unbelievable feeling”. If you decide everything in one set, the opponent is ready to hit all the balls at a hundred percent, then you are in trouble.

“Yeah, I had a few problems but, well, I think I’m recovered now”, she said of the foot problem, “so very good”. Tommy Robredo outlasted Malek Jaziri, Viktor Troicki erased a two-set deficit against Daniel Munoz De La Nava, Jack Sock edged fellow American Taylor Fritz, Lukas Rosol held off Taro Daniel, and Guido Pella came back from two sets down to beat Steve Darcis.

The 32-year-old served masterfully in each tiebreak, particularly in the second to keep the match alive.

The ATP and the other governing bodies for tennis have denied the allegations, and no players have been identified in the reports, but Murray said the authorities should have taken a more obvious lead in stamping it out.

Early losses now aren’t as stunning for the fifth-seeded Nadal, who exited in the second round in last year’s Wimbledon and the third round at the US Open. “I just kept doing it and it went well”.

“I will keep it up and try playing like this”, Verdasco said.

Wawrinka was leading 7-6(2), 6-3 when Tursunov indicated to the umpire he was unable to continue any further. He was able to keep going for big shots in a not very bad position. “He took more risks than me”, Nadal said after the defeat.

“But I am not happy about the way that I played the first”.