Rafael Nadal's Comeback Halted In Epic Encounter In Brisbane International
Spanish great Rafael Nadal's comeback to tennis came to an end when he lost a 3hr 25min marathon quarter-final to Australian Jordan Thompson at the Brisbane International on Friday. Thompson saved three match points in the second set before overcoming an increasingly fatigued Nadal 5-7, 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 in a gruelling encounter that finished just before midnight on Pat Rafter Arena. Thompson booked a semi-final against Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov with the win, while at the same time throwing a spanner in the works of Nadal's Australian Open preparations. Nadal said he had plenty of chances to win, but just couldn't take them. "I think he played a good match. For me, it was not the best match, I had a lot of opportunities to win it," he said.
