Down goes the champ!
Now here is one loss I didn’t see coming. Three-time defending champion and clay-master Rafael Nadal lost to Juan Carlos Ferrero today in the second round at Rome. Ferrero won the match 7-5, 6-1 and didn’t let Nadal convert a single break chance against him. Nadal had been 6-1 versus Ferrero in his career, with four of those victories coming on clay (including at Monte Carlo two weeks ago). Nadal’s last loss on clay came to Roger Federer in the finals at Hamburg in 2007, and that was a stunner!
Heading into this tournament, Nadal had won the title in Monte Carlo and Barcelona (both for the fourth straight time), and had a 17 match winning streak at Rome. As you know, he doesn’t lose on clay very often. He now has a 117-4 record on the surface since 2005, and this is his first loss to a Spaniard on clay since he fell to David Ferrer in the quarterfinals in 2004 at Stuttgart.
This loss will definitely give Roger Federer (and others) some hope as we progress towards the French Open.
