Nadal stunned in first match of season by Berrer – What does it mean?

This week’s sign the apocalypse is upon Rafael Nadal: he lost to Michael Berrer 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in his first match of 2015.

But just calm down for a second. It was an opening-round contest at some 250-point event in Doha called the Qatar Open sponsored by ExxonMobil. The recent Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman (that was a college football game between Virginia Tech and Cincinnati, for those wondering) was more prestigious.

And it’s not like Nadal’s performance came out of nowhere, unless you define an extended injury layoff followed by a 6-2, 6-0 exhibition loss to Andy Murray as “nowhere.” The Spaniard played only seven matches after Wimbledon in 2014 and lost three of them, none to opponents ranked in the top 20. He lost his last two meetings with left-handers in 2014. Berrer, by comparison, is ranked 127th and a lefty.

Nadal isn’t getting worse. He just hasn’t quite gotten all the way better.

Nadal’s most recent Grand Slam title came at the 2014 French Open. His four tournaments leading up to it–all on his favorite surface–resulted in losses to David Ferrer, Nicolas Almagro, and Novak Djokovic in addition to a visit to the proverbial woodshed courtesy of Kei Nishikori (Nishikori eventually got hurt and had to retire from the Madrid final).

But, no, Nadal defeatists are correct. This loss to Berrer really does mean everything.

It means Berrer, 34, has a signature win–his first over a top-5 opponent–at the tail end of his 17-year career.

It means Berrer has, as commentator Robbie Koenig would say, “one for the rocking chair” (or for much sooner than that, since the German already has two kids).

It means Berrer’s decision to play one more season (he is retiring at the end of 2015) is pretty much validated regardless of what else transpires.

It means Berrer will crack at least the top 120 next week and put himself on the brink of the top 100 for the first time since January of 2012.

It means Berrer is one win over an unseeded Ivan Dodig away from his firs ATP quarterfinal since July of 2013.

It means no more seeded players stand in Berrer’s way of his first ATP semifinal since February of 2012.

“It’s really unbelievable,” Berrer said in his on-court interview. “It’s my last season (on the pro tour). I’m going for it. I have nothing to lose. Why not? It’s one of the matches which will stay in my memory forever.”