Rafael Nadal: Five most embarrassing losses of tennis star's career

The Spaniard recently suffered a straight-set loss in the Madrid Open quarter-finals to Alexander Zverev.

Rafael Nadal is one of the greatest tennis players of all time. The 20-time Grand Slam winner has enjoyed massive success in recent times and continues to dominate the sport alongside Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

However, even the greatest of players sometimes have to go through tough matches, bowing down to opponents they are generally not expected to.

Here's a look back at some of the most embarrassing defeats in the Spaniard's career so far:

5. Rafael Nadal vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Australian Open, 2008)

In the year 2008, unseeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga upset the odds after thrashing the No.2 seed Rafael Nadal. The 22-year-old defeated Nadal in the semi-finals, winning 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 in Melbourne.

Tsonga was the surprise package of the tournament knocking out Andy Murray, Richard Gasquet and Mikhail Youzhny prior to facing Nadal. He didn't allow Nadal to play his usual game, slamming 17 aces with his first serve while Nadal could only manage two. Tsonga's baseline tennis was too good for Nadal, as the former didn't face any breakpoint in his serve. The match lasted for one hour and 57 minutes, with Tsonga cruising through to the final.

4. Rafael Nadal vs Juan Martin del Potro (US Open, 2009)

A year later, Nadal recorded one of the most inefficient performances in his career. This time his opponent was Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro at the US Open.

Nadal was suffering an abdominal injury during the tournament but still made it through the semis of yet another Grand Slam. With Roger Federer playing Novak Djokovic in the semi-final, Nadal fancied his chances against del Potro. However, it proved to be a different story at the Flushing Meadows.

The Argentinian who was world No.6 at the time, delivered a masterclass in a shocking one-sided contest. del Potro swept aside Nadal 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 in what is still considered as one of the most significant victories in his career. Later on, he went onto complete the fairytale by upsetting Federer in the final to win his first Grand Slam title.

3. Rafael Nadal vs Lukas Rosol (Wimbledon, 2012)

The match played at the conclusion of Day 4 at the All-England Club in 2012 sent shock waves not only throughout the tennis world but also the world of sports. It was a remarkable upset when the world No. 100 played the match of a lifetime.

Nadal managed to hang on and win the tie break after equal breaks of serve in the first set. However, the Czech dominated in the next two sets only for Nadal to roar back and claim the fourth set. That sent the match into a fifth set. But there was a break of about 45 minutes as the officials decided to close the roof because of the descending darkness. It might have been a major factor with Nadal's lapse of concentration evident in the final set.

Eventually, Rosol won the match 6-7(9), 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3. He sent Nadal home in one of the greatest upsets in the tournament's history.

2. Rafael Nadal vs Steve Darcis (Wimbledon, 2013)

Nadal was back in his first competitive grass tie the following year since the defeat to Lukas Rosol. Little did he know that this time he would be on the end of a remarkable defeat at the hands of the world no. 135 Steve Darcis. It turned out to be Nadal's first-ever defeat in the first round of a Grand Slam.

The Spaniard had come into this match after winning the French Open for a record eighth time. Darcis took advantage of Nadal struggling to adjust from the clay to grass, winning the first set after a tie-break. Nadal then saved four set points in a second-round tie-break but failed to take one of his own with Darcis claiming it at the fifth opportunity. The Belgian showed no signs of nerves, winning the third set to condemn Nadal to a first-round defeat.

Nadal, thus, became the first reigning French Open champion to lose in the first round of Wimbledon since Brazil's Gustavo Kuerten in 1997.

1. Rafael Nadal vs Robin Soderling (French Open, 2009)

"The King of Clay" has won a record 13 French Open titles. In 2009, he went into his match with Sweden's Robin Soderling having won all his previous matches at the Roland Garros.

Nadal had made light work of Marcos Daniel, Teymuraz Gabashvili and Lleyton Hewitt without dropping a single set. So no major drama was likely on the cards, with Nadal expected to cruise through. On the other hand, the 24-year-old Swede was appearing in his first Grand Slam fourth round. The odds were completely stacked against him.

However, Soderling had other ideas. He went onto beat Nadal 6-2, 6-7(2), 6-4, 7-6(2). Many considered it as a fluke, but he proved the doubters wrong by going onto reach the final of the competition. Legendary Martina Navratilova described the match as one of the biggest upsets in tennis history. Few could argue against her.

More than a decade since that loss, Nadal has only once more lost a match at the Roland Garros clay, a 2015 quarter-finals loss to Novak Djokovic. Just goes onto show what a monumental achievement it was for Robin Soderling!

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