Rafael Nadal: How Fabio Fognini has COPIED Novak Djokovic with Monte Carlo Masters shock
RAFAEL NADAL was shocked on Saturday as Fabio Fognini knocked him out of the Monte Carlo Masters with a win which helped match a feat previously achieved by just three men.
Nadal has won the clay tournament a record 11 times, but he won’t be making it 12 in 2019 after his semi-final defeat.
The Spaniard lost 6-4 6-2 to Italian challenger Fognini, as his French Open preparations hit a massive hurdle.
Fognini has now joined a list of elite players that have beaten Nadal three times on clay, and Roger Federer isn’t one of them.
Only Dominic Thiem, Novak Djokovic and Gaston Gaudio have beaten the 32-year-old more than twice on his favourite surface.
Federer has only done so on two occasions.
Fognini has now won four of his 15 matches against Nadal.
The 31-year-old becomes the first Italian to reach the Monte Carlo final since Bjorn Borg beat Corrado Barazzutti back in 1977.
Fognini said after his victory: "It was really tough.
“At the beginning, I was a break up, [he] broke [me] and I was 3-1 down.
"I think the umpire made a really bad decision [with the towel].
“After that I said to myself ‘stay calm and try to play’.
“Because it was really difficult. It was really windy.
“But it doesn’t matter because I’m in the final and I’d like to enjoy this match.”