The undisputed king of the French Open, where he has nine titles and owns a staggering match record of 66 wins to just one defeat, the 28-year-old Nadal is enduring diminishing returns at the All England Club.
Champion in 2008 and 2010 and runner-up for a third time in 2011, Nadal was beaten in the second round in 2012, the first round last year and fell in the last-16 to Australian rookie Kyrgios on Tuesday losing 6-7 (5/7), 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 3-6 in a stunning Centre Court upset.
But in Melbourne and New York, the Spaniard remains a contender -- on his last two visits to Australia, he has been runner-up while his three most recent trips to the US Open have yielded two titles and a runners-up spot.
Nadal remains confident he can win another title at Wimbledon, a belief fuelled by having injury-free knees which have been tested to the limit in London where the ball bounces lower, increasing the stress factor on his suspect joints.
"I tried my best, as always I do when my physical performance gives me the chance to try my best. The last two years I didn't have that chance to try my best because my knee was not right to compete," said Nadal.
"But this year I felt the knee was right to compete. I competed and I think I competed well. It was not enough, but that's sport. The opponent was better than me. Life continues.
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