Wimbledon 2017: Rafael Nadal wins stunning point (Video)

Rafael Nadal crashed out of Wimbledon on Monday to Gilles Muller, but he won one of the points of the tournament here.

For two sets on Monday,  Wimbledon No. 4 seed Rafael Nadal looked overmatched against No. 16 seed Gilles Muller. But 3-6, 4-6 setbacks gave way to 6-3, 6-4 wins in the next two sets. A lengthy fifth set tie-breaker ensued.

Nadal’s record on clay is well-established, with virtually unrivaled success at the French Open. His record at Wimbledon, and on grass, is not on that level. But Roger Federer’s success at Wimbledon and he career overlap is a good a reason as any for that, more than any shortcomings Nadal has on that particular surface.

Nadal and Muller had a lengthy rally fairly early in the tie-breaker, and the result has a great chance to stand as the best point we’ll see at Wimbledon in 2017.

Nadal ultimately lost an epic 15-13 tie-breaker to Muller, who will now advance to take on Croatian and No. 7 seed Marin Cilic in the quarterfinals. The winner of that match will have a chance to take on defending Wimbledon champion Andy Murray in the semifinals, assuming this year’s No. 1 seed beats American and No. 24 seed Sam Querrey in his own quarterfinal match.

With Nadal’s defeat, the dream of ESPN and tennis fans to see the top four seeds in the men’s draw filling out the 2017 Wimbledon semifinals are gone. Federer and Murray have held up their end so far, with No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic on the docket Monday afternoon against un-seeded Adrian Mannarino.

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Nadal can now shift his focus to preparations for the U.S. Open late next month. He has won that event twice (2010 and 2013), so he has a decent chance to win two Grand Slams in one year for the first time since 2013.