Nadal knocked out of Halle Open

Rafael Nadal was knocked out in the second round of the grass-court Gerry Weber Open, losing 6-4, 6-1 to German wild
card Dustin Brown.

The world number 85 broke Nadal’s serve at the fifth attempt to win the first set, and he pulled off two audacious lobs in succession to break the Spaniard again early in the second.

Nothing Nadal tried seemed to work in his first match since winning his ninth French Open title. 

Earlier, Roger Federer began his grass-court preparations for Wimbledon by coming from behind to beat Joao Sousa of Portugal 6-7, 6-4, 6-2.

Sousa saved all five break points he faced before taking the first set in a tiebreaker, but the second-seeded Federer raised his level in the next two sets to win the second-round match and move into the quarterfinals.

“It was important to stay calm, and actually it gives me more confidence winning this way than maybe just 6-4, 6-4, and you don’t quite know what is going on,” said Federer, who acknowledged he was worried after losing the first set.

It was the seven-time Wimbledon winner’s first match since losing in the fourth round at the French Open to Ernests Gulbis.