Wimbledon Day 4 - Brilliant Brown Sends Nadal Out

If you’ve ever took the time to read Dustin Brown’s twitter profile you may have come across the words “Star Of The Adventure: The Tennis Life Of Dustin Brown” Anyone new to the story should be informed that most of Brown’s adventures have come in the middling mists of the second tier challenger tour. The new chapter: victory over Rafael Nadal on the Centre court at Wimbledon.

Dustin Brown celebrates the biggest win of his career

Those who have come across the 30 year old German and his draping dreadlocks would have known that this would be an entertaining match whatever the score. I was lucky enough to watch Brown beat Lleyton Hewitt to reach the third round here two years ago, once seen never forgotten. It’s clear he loves the grass at SW19, he loves the big occasions even more, something Nadal found out to his peril.

For the fourth year in succession the Spaniard’s Wimbledon curse came back to haunt him. The 7-5 3-6 6-4 6-4 defeat to Brown means Nadal has lost to a player ranked outside the world’s top 100 in his last four Wimbledon’s and Brown, currently ranked 102nd in the world, can join the likes of Lukas Rosol, Steve Darcis and Nick Kyrgios on Nadal’s conqueror’s list.

Brown’s ultra-aggressive and flamboyant game was refreshing to see as he rolled back the years of grass court tennis winning 71 of 99 serve-volley points. His opening service game lasted less than a minute and included a 123 mph second serve, just like in previous years it was the 14 time Grand Slam champion who could only pray that his opponent’s level would drop, once again it didn’t.

Nadal did claim the first break of serve in the third game of the match, however his advantage was short lived as Brown hit back instantly. Any Nadal serve which even slightly missed its mark was struck away for a winner by exuberant Brown, who had no plans to slog things out from the back of the court.

Leading 6-5 in the first set the German broke Nadal for a second time to take a deserved lead. If losing the first set wasn’t painful enough for Nadal, it was made more agonising when he clouted his leg with his own racket when attempting to hook back another one of Brown vicious returns. The noise of the impact even echoed around the corners of Centre Court.

Nadal’s form may have been patchy over recent months; however it’s clear that his hunger for the game is still burning strong for the time being. There were still plenty of fist pumps and cries of “vamos” as the Spaniard desperately tried to gear himself up. It worked temporarily at least as he broke the Brown serve early in the second set, that proved to be enough as he levelled the match at a set apiece.

That could have ended Brown’s spirited challenge there and then, yet his rocket serves continued to flow while his flashy finishes at the net kept Nadal in a constant stranglehold. Just when the Spaniard appeared to be getting to grips with his opponent’s relentless serve, the unpredictable Brown stunned him again.

Nadal lost his serve midway through third, as Brown retook the lead, and again at the start of the fourth as the German set his eyes on the finish line. Nadal saved two match points at 5-3 down, but when serving for the match Brown played just as calmly as he had in the opening game of the match.

Nadal later added “I don't know if I will be back to the level of 2008 or 2010" For Brown the adventure moves on to the fourth round where he will face Serbia’s Victor Trocki.