Sunday 6 September 2015 08:43, UK
We look back at Rafael Nadal's miserable Grand Slam run in 2015 as he exits the final major of the year at the third round stage.
Fabio Fognini's dramatic comeback in the early hours of Saturday morning capped off one of the worst years in Nadal's career.
Defeat in the US Open third round means the Spaniard ends 2015 without a Grand Slam to his name for the first time since 2004. The 14-time major winner has not made it past the quarter finals of a Grand Slam tournament since returning from appendicitis at the beginning of the year.
Australian Open
After missing the second half of last season, Nadal's return to Grand Slam competition began smoothly at the Australian Open. He dropped just two sets on his way to the quarter-finals in Melbourne, beating Mikhail Youzhny and the big-serving Kevin Anderson along the way.
But in the last eight he was taken apart by seventh seed Tomas Berdych. Nadal had beaten the Czech in their previous 17 encounters, but was powerless to stop Berdych recording a 6-2 6-0 7-6 victory.
French Open
It had been six years since Nadal had lost at the French Open, and as he returned to the clay of Roland Garros, the nine-time champion was determined to retain his crown.
As in Australia, the tournament started well. Nadal brushed aside his early round opponents, with unseeded American Jack Sock the only man to take a set off him.
But in the quarter-final a different class of opponent awaited in the shape of world No 1 Novak Djokovic. For the first time, Nadal went into the match as the underdog, despite having beaten the Serb in all six of their previous encounters at Roland Garros.
The first set was a titanic battle between the two rivals which Djokovic eventually won 7-5. But this was not to be one of the classic matches between the two, as Djokovic dominated the next two sets to win 7-5 6-3 6-1, and consign Nadal to just his second French Open defeat.
WImbledon
The switch from clay to grass coincided with Nadal's fall to 10th in the world rankings. The Spaniard's lower seeding meant he would have faced Andy Murray in the quarter-finals - but he was destined not to make it that far.
In just the second round the flamboyant German Dustin Brown produced one of the greatest upsets in Wimbledon history to overcome the two-time champion in four sets.
US Open
Nadal returned to Flushing Meadows with good memories of New York, having not played there since lifting the trophy in 2013.
But any hopes of regaining the title were ended again in the third round as he imploded in spectacular fashion against Fognini.
Nadal should have had one foot in the fourth round after winning the first two sets against the Italian. But he surrendered a two-set advantage for the first time in his Grand Slam career, as Fognini dismantled his game in an epic comeback that lasted almost four hours, and ended any hopes of major success for Nadal.
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