Rafael Nadal suffers shocking Wimbledon loss

I promise there will be some non-tennis related posts today but this is a big story: Rafael Nadal has lost in the first round of Wimbledon.

Wow.

He won a record 8th French Open two weeks ago and has been the most dominant player all year making the final of every tournament he played in 2013.

But he suffered a shocking first-round loss to Belgian Steve Darcis who was unseeded and ranked 135 in men’s singles.

Nadal lost in straight sets 7-6, 7-6, 6-4.

Nadal, a 12-time Grand Slam winner, had never lost in the first round of a Grand Slam event and won Wimbledon in 2008 and 2010. He was also a finalist in 2006, 2007 and 2011.

As Nadal battled in the third set, it became increasingly obvious that his left knee, which forced Nadal into a seven-month hiatus last year, was giving him increased pain.

After the match, Nadal was dismissive of any lingering injury.

“It’s not the day to talk about these kinds of things. I am confident that I will have a good recovery and be ready for the next tournaments,” he said.

It’s a huge break for defending champ Roger Federer who was seeded to meet Nadal in the quarterfinals.