Washington was left stunned after 20-time Grand Slam champion, Rafael Nadal, fell out of the ATP event. The Spanish left-hander lost to South Africa’s Lloyd Harris 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 in a third round match at the Citi Open.
According to AFP, 35-year-old Nadal, who has been struggling with a foot injury said: “I need to keep improving… I had a lot of problems with my foot. I was not able to practice all the days that I really wanted, but I did as much as I could.
“And I tried hard here. I try very hard. But [it] was not enough. I’m going to keep trying to practice the proper way and to give myself a chance to be better soon.”
Meanwhile, the 24-year-old Harris was completely overjoyed after his victory, describing the day as “really special.” He went on to say that “I’ve had some big wins and I’ve beaten some Grand Slam champions, but to beat a 20-time Grand Slam champion in front of a full crowd with such an amazing atmosphere, it was definitely something very special.”
Harris is the first player to win his first match against Nadal since 18-year-old Canadian, Denis Shapovalov in 2017.
Watch the action over here:
Lloyd OVERJOYED ?✨@lloydharris63 stuns Nadal 6-4 1-6 6-4 under the lights in Washington to reach the QF!#CitiOpen pic.twitter.com/qEmPHT8Psb
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 6, 2021
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Picture: Twitter / @TennisSA
