Nadal eliminated in fourth round of Wimbledon

The former world number one lost to Gilles Muller 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 13-15 in a match that lasted nearly five hours.

Rafael Nadal, one of the top contenders at Wimbledon this year, fought back from 0-2 down but fell in the deciding set after Gilles Muller took advantage of a fifth match point.

The 16th seed Muller has a first serve that can reach 203 km/h, making it difficult for Nadal to return. In the fifth game of the first set, Muller made his first mistakes and Nadal had a chance to break but failed to take advantage.

Muller had a successful appeal early in the sixth game and had his first break point after winning a 12-hit rally. The Luxembourg player missed. But Muller had his second break point after a successful drop shot. This time he took it and went 4-2 up. With the advantage, Muller won the ninth service game and closed out the first set.

Nadal was helpless against Muller's powerful first serves. Photo: Reuters.

Muller's powerful shots continued to be the highlight of the second set as Nadal failed to find a way to neutralize his opponent's weapon. Despite holding serve with ease, in contrast to his opponent's struggles, Nadal was the one who was broken. After missing two break opportunities in game eight, the Spaniard collapsed in the next service game after a slice that went over the net. Muller held his fifth serve and won the second set.

Backed by the crowd, Nadal's fighting spirit once again showed. Backed by the crowd, the former champion earned his first break of the match in the fourth game of the third set. Muller's first serve suddenly lost the consistency of the first two sets. He made his fifth double fault of the match in the eighth game and nearly faced a break. Muller saved two set points in the next game, but a low shot over the net gave Nadal his first set point of the match.

With his mentality improved after reducing the score, Nadal continued to put pressure on his opponent's service games in the fourth set. He missed two break points in the third game and three more in the fifth. However, after Muller made another double fault, Nadal took advantage of the fourth chance to break in the fifth game. This advantage was maintained by the fourth seed and the match was leveled after easily winning the remaining three service games in the fourth set.

Muller had an excellent match, constantly forcing Nadal to chase the score. Photo: Reuters.

Nadal was cheered as if he were a British player. Muller had to leave the court for a moment, as Nadal had done after losing the first two sets. After returning, the Luxembourg player seemed to regain his composure and played solidly on his serve. In the ninth game of the deciding set, Muller had two chances to win points when his opponent double-faulted. But Nadal saved both with an ace and hit another ace to win the game.

Against an opponent known for his competitive spirit and his ability to get stronger the longer he plays, Muller kept his composure remarkably. With the advantage of serving first in the deciding game, he repeatedly forced Nadal into a chase. After 32 consecutive games without a break point, Muller had two match point opportunities in the 28th game. This time, he won on a sustained rally when Nadal hit a forehand over the net.

The match ended after four hours and 47 minutes. The fifth set alone lasted two hours and 15 minutes, longer than the match between Roger Federer and Grigor Dimitrov. Because of this long match, the next match on Court One between Novak Djokovic and Adrian Mannarino was postponed until the following day.

Gilles Muller reached his first Wimbledon quarter-final, and the 34-year-old reached the milestone with what he described as the "biggest win of his career". His next opponent is seventh seed Marin Cilic, who is in fine form and is considered one of the favorites. Cilic easily defeated Roberto Bautista 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 to advance./.

According to VNE