By his own stratospheric standards, Rafael Nadal has had something of an annus horribilis. He is ranked eighth in the world, and has won three singles titles so far this season. He made the quarterfinals of two grand slam tournaments, the Australian and French Opens, losing to Tomas Berdych at the former and World Number One Novak Djokovic at the latter. But, as commentators and worried fans noted after his third round defeat at the US Open by Fabio Fognini in a five-set thriller, 2015 marks the first time that Nadal has not won at least one grand slam since he started accumulating them in 2005.
Indeed, firsts of an unpleasant kind have been piling up for Nadal. His loss to Fognini was the first time he has blown a two-sets-to-love lead at a grand slam. His exit at Roland Garros put an end to his 39-match winning streak there. Earlier, he dropped out of the top five for the first time since 2005. There has been speculation that Nadal’s punishing style of play has exacted a heavy toll not only on his body — he has suffered wrist, knee and back injuries — but also on his confidence. The pugnacious, uber-competitive Nadal who would make his opponent work for every point seemed to have vanished. But fans can take heart: the loss to Fognini showed that that Nadal is still around.
