Rafael Nadal suffered a brutal loss in the third round of the U.S. Open
No. 8 Rafael Nadal bowed out of the U.S Open early after falling in a grueling five-set match Friday night. The Spanish star led No. 32 Fabio Fognini of Italy after two sets at Arthur Ashe Stadium, but after nearly four hours, he was ousted 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.
The third-round loss breaks Nadal's 10-year streak of winning at least one Grand Slam title. "The only thing it means is I played amazing the last 10 years," he said.
Fognini called his hard-earned upset a "mental victory."
Article continues belowThe Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"That was one of greatest, most spectacular comebacks you're ever going to see on a tennis court," tennis legend John McEnroe said. "The level that he played to mount that miraculous comeback will be remembered for a long time."
