Rafael Nadal has admitted he has no idea whether he can ever reproduce the form that helped him win two Wimbledon titles after maverick Dustin Brown inflicted a fourth successive embarrassment for the former world No 1 tennis star.
Nadal's Wimbledon triumphs in 2008 and 2010 now seem an age ago and his record since 2011 has been blotted by four losses to players ranked 100th or lower.
Brown, ranked 102, was the latest low-ranked opponent to come out hitting against Nadal at the All England Club, seizing the moment on Thursday (NZT Friday) to knock the Spaniard out.
The German, with a Jamaican father, was far from one-dimensional and mixed up ferocious hitting with clever drop shots and surprise charges to the net.
But Brown, like Nadal's three previous London conquerors Lukas Rosol, Steve Darcis and Nick Kyrgios, would probably have received short shrift had they played the Spaniard when he was at his Wimbledon-winning peak.
"I don't know if I will be back to the level of 2008 or 2010 or 2007 or 2006 or '11," Nadal said after the 7-5 3-6 6-4 6-4 defeat.
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