Czech storm hits Wimbledon

There are plenty of storms raging up in the north of England which have caused havoc and disruption, but nothing like the storm which a certain Czech has caused on the lawns of the All England Club.

Ranked 100, and making his debut at Wimbledon, Lukas Rosol who can only be best described as journeyman at the age of 26, ousted The Championships' second seed, Rafael Nadal, twice the Wimbledon champion in just the second round of the Fortnight.

In what was an incredible performance which stunned the tennis world, not just because it was so unexpected, but also for its ferocity and the nerveless fashion in which it was executed. How could this individual just be ranked 98 places below the world number two, one asks.

At no point did Nadal fans believe that their idol would be defeated. He always worked things out and turned the match on its head. It took a bit longer when his opponent was an unknown, like Rosol, but even when he trailed in the fifth set, the faithful held firm in their belief.

For the neutral it was as exciting a match as anyone could have hope for. A David and Goliath contest which will certainly go down as one of the major upsets of The Championships.

History will record the results as, L Rosol def. R Nadal (2) 6-7(9) 6-4 6-4 2-6 6-4 in a time of three hours and 19-minutes. It will also add the postscript that the roof was closed for that fifth set to allow the match to be completed as darkness was starting to encroach on the Centre Court setting

Rosol's ice-cool demeanor during the match, his power and his consistency, both off the ground and on serve, completely stunned Nadal. You could say he was shell-shocked as he came off the court which as is expected of a Centre Court crowd, rose to acknowledged an incredible result and effort of the winner who hit three aces and and forehand winner to clinch his win and a third round place.  

"Congratulations to Rafa, he played a good match but I think I was better today," Rosol commented as he came off court. Nadal in turn admitted he hadn't played his best but, as is his way, didn't proffer any excuses for his dramatic loss. Albeit stating that halting the match to allow the roof to be closed for that deciding set proved to be turning point as at the time he was in the ascendancy.

"I am very, very disappointed," he said. "I just was in the second round. That's painful, because always is tough to lose. But, well, that's sport. You win, you lose."

"I think I played a great fourth set. Sure the stop this time didn't help me. That's the sport. That's it.

"Only thing that I can do is come back home, rest I need and I deserve. So that's what I can do, nothing else."

Rosol was unable to control his elation. "Still I cannot find the words," he said. "I still can't believe it. It's like dream for me. It's like some B team in the Czech Republic beating Real Madrid.

"It's always open. It's sport." he went on to add having admitted he feared a would suffer a severe defeat,  "Nobody's unbeaten. Everybody can lose and everybody can win."

The elimination of Nadal would seem to open the way for Andy Murray who has in previous years found the Spaniard to be an immovable object at The Championships, especially as Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic find themselves in the opposite side of the draw.