Rafael Nadal suffered a 7-5 6-7 3-6 defeat to Australia’s Jordan Thompson at the quarter-final stage of the Brisbane International, having failed to take three match points.
Nadal, 37, had been kept out of the sport for a year as he recovered from a hip injury but after comprehensive wins over Dominic Thiem and Jason Kubler earlier this week, he could not deliver again vs Thompson on Friday in a much tighter contest.
The Spaniard underwent a medical timeout during the third set and visibly struggled as the contest reached a conclusion.
Thompson will now face Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov in the semi-finals on Saturday, with the latter having knocked out Andy Murray earlier in the tournament.
More to follow…
This is a breaking news story that is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh this page for the latest updates.
Sky Sports brings you live updates as they happen. Get breaking sports news, analysis, exclusive interviews, replays and highlights.
Sky Sports is your trusted source for breaking sports news headlines and live updates. Watch live coverage of your favourite sports: Football, F1, Boxing, Cricket, Golf, Tennis, Rugby League, Rugby Union, NFL, Darts, Netball and get the latest transfers news, results, scores and more.
Visit skysports.com or the Sky Sports App for all the breaking sports news headlines. You can receive push notifications from the Sky Sports app for the latest news from your favourite sports and you can also follow @SkySportsNews on Twitter to get the latest updates.