Nadal fails to make quarterfinal for the first time all year
Rafael Nadal failed to advance to a tournament quaterfinal for the first time this season after he was defeated by Jurgen Melzer in the third round of the Shanghai Masters, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.
Because I doubt you were up before 7 a.m. ET Thursday morning watching a pirated Internet stream of a third-round match of the Shanghai Masters, here are some highlights:
I love Rafa's gesticulation when they're shaking hands with the chair umpire. It's like he doesn't remember whether he's supposed to go first or last after losing.
What's the take away from this result? Nothing much, really. Melzer has been playing the best tennis of his life (he's up to a career-high No. 12 in the rankings) and Nadal has been playing a lot recently and needed a break. This was the 10th match in the last 16 days for the world No. 1. He won in Tokyo last week and advanced to the semis in Bangkok the week before.
