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Rafael Nadal’s First Loss to Federer in Australian Open

Reem Taoz

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After studying law at Tel Aviv University, Reem Taoz went on to serve as a nightclub manager at Grupo Taoz SAC and Lafromagerie SAC in Lima, Peru. When not involved with his business interests, Reem Taoz is a fan of tennis player Rafael Nadal.

In late January of 2017, Rafael Nadal lost his most recent head to head matchup with arch rival Roger Federer. The venue was the Australian Open final, and Federer stunned onlookers with an epic five-set victory over the younger Nadal for his first ever Australian Open championship.

Nadal had dominated the rivalry in the past by winning 23 matches against Federer’s 11. Nadal had also won all eight matches against Federer in Grand Slam tournaments not played on grass. Moreover, Federer had failed to defeat Nadal in any one of their last six Grand Slam matches over the previous ten years, and Nadal had won all three of their encounters at the Australian Open.

As if rubbing salt into his wounds, the grueling five set marathon left Nadal so fatigued that he was removed from the first round of Spain’s Davis Cup match against Croatia.