As the story of tennis match-fixing continued to swirl Down Under – check out the Daily News’ back page – there was another shocker – Rafa’s out.

Rafael Nadal went down to fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 7-6 (8-6) 4-6 3-6 7-6 (4-7) 6-2 in a four-hour, 40-minute first-round match at the Australian Open. Reportedly, it was a thriller but whom are we kidding? We’re a long way from the days when Rafa would blow Verdasco off the court.

Is it mental? Physical? A failure to shake up the coaching team? All of these? None? ...

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