Tennis superstars Rafael Nadal, Venus Williams defeated early in Australian Open


The Australian Open was rocked by a day of upsets with Spain's Rafael Nadal losing to fellow countryman Fernando Verdasco in the first round, seven years after the two met in the 2009 Australian Open and saw Nadal victorious.
The defeat is sadly no longer unfamiliar to 14-time Grand Slam winner Nadal: The New York Times reports that in his last three Grand Slam appearances, Nadal lost in the second round of Wimbledon, the third round of the United States Open, and the first round in Melbourne. The final score of Tuesday's match was 7-6, (8-6), 4-6, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2.
"It's a hard and painful loss," Nadal said.
Subscribe to The 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.
It was not the only brutal first-round knock out of the day, either: Venus Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam champ, lost to British number one Johanna Konta, spoiling Williams' shot at winning the Australian Open at the age of 35. Second-seed Simona Halep was also eliminated in the first round, falling 6-4 6-3 to Chinese qualifier Zhang Shuai.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box office
Speed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published