What Rafael Nadal's Loss to Steve Darcis Means for US Open

After falling to Steve Darcis in the first round at Wimbledon on Monday, Rafael Nadal will turn his sights towards the U.S. Open to claim his second major of the year.   

Not only did Nadal lose, but he was bounced in straight sets, 7-6, 7-6, 6-4, marking the first time in his career he was eliminated in the first round of a Grand Slam event.

The early exit is stunning for the 12-time major champion. While he returned from a lengthy knee injury earlier in the year, he had been in top form. 

Nadal, as he is wont to do, dominated the clay-court season. This culminated with him winning his record eighth French Open championship. In fact, he had lost twice all year heading into Wimbledon and had made the final in every event he entered. 

While that stretch had answered all questions about the 27-year-old regaining his elite form, this loss raises a whole new set of concerns. 

It is possible that Nadal has advanced to a point of his career that has seen him return to his roots as a clay-court specialist. This doesn't mean that Nadal is headed toward similar early exits on the upcoming hard-court circuit, or most importantly at Flushing Meadows, but it's distinctively possible that Nadal will not add any more Slam titles to his resume that don't come at Roland Garros. 

Nadal now hasn't won a major away from clay since winning the U.S. Open in 2010. In all, Nadal has won just four of his majors away from the French Open, and Wimbledon is the only other major he has won more than once.

With younger players like Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray ready to contend for titles for the foreseeable future, Nadal is rapidly approaching the point of his career where it is time to consider him one of the favorites—not the favorite—in majors other than the French. I expect Nadal to have a stronger showing at the U.S. Open than he just turned in at Wimbledon, but I'm certainly not picking him to win it.