Wimbledon Tennis 2015 Live Stream, Match Times, Schedule & Highlights: Rafael Nadal Exits; Novak Djokovic, Maria Sharapova To Play Friday
Wimbledon fans saw the shocking exit of two-time champion Rafael Nadal on Thursday as opponent Dustin Brown advances to the next round in a stunning upset.
The No. 10 seed went to the grass court at SW19 looking for another victory but the German player, ranked 102nd, dominated the match, ending Nadal's hope of winning another Wimbledon title.
The 30-year-old won 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the third round. The victory marks the third time Brown went past the second round in a Grand Slam event. He reached the third round of Wimbledon in 2013 and the second round of the US Open in 2010.
It is also the second time the German beat Nadal in a grass court. Nadal lost to Brown in 2014 at the Halle Open.
"I am fortunate I played him twice on grass, which is my favorite surface," Brown told BBC Sport. "My game makes him not play his game. He doesn't get in a rhythm."
The 14 Grand Slam titles holder conceded that it might be hard to get back to the way he was before when he had been winning titles left and right.
Nadal has been suffering losses from players outside the top 100 that would have been quite easy for him to defeat during his top form in 2010.
"I don't know if I will be back to the level of 2008 or 2010," Nadal admitted to reporters after the match. "My motivation is to try to be back to that level. But I've got to keep working."
The Spanish player is looking forward to the future and he is doing his best not to dwell on the exit.
"If I don't make that happen then I've played five finals and taken the trophy back home two times, so that's not bad," he continued. "It's not the end. It's a sad moment for me but life continues. My career, too."
Meanwhile, the action will continue on Day 5 of the Wimbledon with Maria Sharapova facing Irina-Camelia Begu for the third round of matches.
The Russian progressed to the third round after defeating Dutch player Richel Hogenkamp in straight sets on Wednesday. However, the victory was not without trouble for the five-time Grand Slam winner who admitted having challenges in getting her rhythm for the match initially.
"I didn't find the rhythm on my serve in a few of those games," Sharapova said, as quoted by Steve G Tennis. "I think the good thing, though, is that I regained my timing and started tossing the ball a little bit more consistently."
The 2004 Wimbledon champion will look to advance to the next round as she face Begu at the No. 1 Court. The match will see the two players meet each other for the second time with Sharapova winning in their last meeting in Madrid.
Defending champion Novak Djokovic will meet Australian Bernard Tomic at the Centre Court Friday to determine who will advance to the next round at SW19.
The Serbian defeated Finnish player Jarkko Nieminen in three straight sets to progress to the third round.
For Djokovic, he said "it was a very solid performance" and that he was able to deliver "just enough to win in straight sets."
The 28-year-old will look to replicate that victory as he continues his road to defend his title.
To see the highlights of the matches in Day 4 of Wimbledon, click on this link for videos of the players in action. Meanwhile, Day 5 matches will be available on live stream via this link.
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