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By Chris Oddo | Thursday, July 2, 2015

 
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Dustin Brown put forth a serve and volley performance for the ages to down Rafael Nadal in his Centre Court debut.

Photo Source: AP

Dustin Brown took a page from tennis’s playbook of the past on Thursday, unleashing a torrent of serve and volley tennis to discombobulate and ultimately dishearten Rafael Nadal in second-round action on at Wimbledon. In the end the dreadlock-sporting German notched an exhilarating 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Nadal to become the only active player to own an undefeated record against the Spaniard after playing him more than one time.

More: Federer Hits Epic 'Tweener to Soar Past Querrey

Brown was not shy in his tactics. He served and volleyed 99 times, winning 71 of those points. He also attacked the Nadal second serve with abandon, winning 20 of 37 points. In total, Brown struck an impressive 58 winners to 24 unforced errors in defeating Nadal for the second time in two lifetime meetings, both on grass.

“It’s easy for me to play my game against someone like him, because I have nothing to lose,” said the world No. 102 after the match. “If I lose 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, everyone says ‘Bravo Rafa,’ and that obviously makes it a lot easier for me.”

A player who feeds off of rhythm and longer rallies, Nadal was given no time to develop his presence against the frantic, chaotic forays from his opponent. Brown attacked, Nadal chased, and as the 30-year-old qualifier started to relax he began to demonstrate a beautiful, feathery touch to perfectly complement his fearless tactics.

“To me, he had a great sense of calmness today,” said Brad Gilbert, while commentating for ESPN after the match. “Great strategy. He executed, got a little bit of help from Rafa. He held his belief, and the big thing was he played at a fast pace and really held his nerve.”

Brown and Nadal traded breaks in the first six games of the opener, but Nadal would lose his way in the 12th game, netting a forehand to give Brown two set points. The Spaniard, a two-time Wimbledon champion who has not reached  the quarterfinals at SW19 since 2011, would serve an ace on the first but Brown hammered a backhand return at Nadal’s feet on the next, causing the Spaniard to awkwardly whack himself on the leg while desperately trying to make a play on the ball.

It was one of the early indications that Nadal’s game would prove to be as off-kilter as Brown’s was electric in this affair.

“Definitely the forehand,” mused ESPN’s Gilbert after the match. “Where is the forehand? He missed that forehand under pressure quite a few times.”

Nadal would take the second set but his troubles were not behind him.

In the third set back-to-back double-faults gave Brown a second look at a break point and he would convert with a perfect touch volley to gain a 3-2 lead.

Brown would continue to march undeterred through his service games, claiming the third set and quickly moving up a break in the fourth set after some more shoddy play from Nadal.

“Obviously today is a bad moment for me,” said Nadal. “It’s a sad moment for me, as I said before, but life continues, and my career too. I have to keep going, working more than ever to change that dynamic.”

Brown continued to puzzle Nadal in the fourth set, but he failed to convert on his first two match points, which came with Nadal serving from 3-5, 15-40. While at the net, Brown elected to let a Nadal backhand go, thinking--or more likely hoping--that it would drop long. When it struck the court inside the baseline, Nadal had a lifeline, and turned it into a hold.

But in the next game, Nadal’s window narrowed again. Brown quickly earned two more match points, and converted his first, sealing his epic victory with his 13th ace, out wide.

“I just kept saying ‘Dustin, just try to concentrate, and even if you do lose, no one is going to say anything bad,’” Brown said. “Just try to get through it somehow."

Brown will face Serbia's Viktor Troicki in the third round. The pair split two Challenger matches in 2014.

Notes, Numbers, Tweets

Nadal’s loss marks the fourth time that he has lost to a player outside the Top 100 at Wimbledon in the last four seasons.







 

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