It's very sad General Hercules.
Rafa's 10 year streak of winning at least 1 major is done.
He was 151-0 when leading 2 sets to love in a major. That's done.
People are saying he played well today in defeat. Maybe at times he did,...I didn't see a lot to be happy about.
His return today against a mediocre server was just woeful, both on first and second serve.
So many short return balls just lined up for winners, and that's when he got in the court.
Rafa was tired after 2+ sets, and lasted the rest on guts alone.
His forehand remains inconsistent. His backhand is the only thing that I would say was pretty solid.
He lost for the 3rd time this year to Fognini, a player he used to own, twice on clay and once on hard.
Obviously, Fognini isn't afraid of Rafa anymore. Fognini had lost 9 straight matches on hard courts coming into the US Open.
There is no place to hide for Rafa.
He either puts in the hard yards, or he doesn't.
The effort during the match was there, but effort alone at his age doesn't win matches.
There is work to do for him in Mallorca. We'll see what he does.
Respectfully,
masterclass