The 11-time champion's loss ended a series of 25 consecutive sets won on his favourite clay as Fognini set up a final showdown against Serbian Dusan Lajovic.
Rafael Nadal moved seamlessly from months of clay court success to a satisfyingly smooth first-round victory on grass as he opened his Wimbledon campaign with a commanding 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Australian John Millman on Monday.
Second seed Rafael Nadal ground down German Philipp Kohlschreiber to win a tough match 7-5 6-3 4-6 6-2 in the Australian Open second round on Thursday.
No matter where Rafael Nadal goes at Queen's Club, there seems to be no hiding place for the popular Spaniard.
Rafael Nadal's day-glo outfit and his ferocious forehands lit up a gloomy Queen's Club on Wednesday as the Spaniard marked his return to grass with a 6-2, 6-2 demolition of Brazilian journeyman Marcos Daniel.
'I played a good match, maybe he was a little bit tired from New York (where) he played an amazing tournament.'
Rafael Nadal will be pose a significant Grand Slam threat again next year after showing signs of returning to his best, according to two of the Spaniard's greatest rivals.
Rafael Nadal says he could miss the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals next month because of appendicitis.
The world number two acknowledges it may be some time before he can return to the level he reached last year
Matching Roger Federer's record Grand Slam haul will act as huge motivation for Rafael Nadal
World number one Rafael Nadal has booked a place in the end-of-season ATP World Tour finals being staged in London for the first time, organisers said on Tuesday.
A marauding Rafael Nadal ended Stefanos Tsitsipas's trailblazing run at the Australian Open on Thursday, thrashing the 20-year-old Greek in a 6-2, 6-4, 6-0 masterclass to reach a fifth final at Melbourne Park.
Former World No 1 Rafael Nadal's doctor has revealed that the 14-time Grand Slam winner would receive stem cell treatment on his back that is in poor health.
Jannik Sinner spearheaded Italy's charge towards a second successive Davis Cup title with a 2-0 victory over the Netherlands in the final at the southern Spanish city of Malaga on Sunday.
Four-times French Open champion Rafael Nadal opened his grasscourt season on Wednesday with a ruthlessly efficient 6-2, 6-2 victory over experienced Swede Jonas Bjorkman at the Queen's Club ATP tournament. Andy Roddick began his pursuit of a fifth Queen's title by preceding Nadal on Centre Court and thumped down 15 aces to beat compatriot Robby Ginepri 6-7, 6-1, 6-1.
So by now we all know what has transpired at Court No 1 in Wimbledon on Monday.
Spain and World No 1 Rafael Nadal visited the popular Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio before the Rio Open tennis tournament.
Rafael Nadal said he was proud and had nothing to reproach himself for after losing a top-quality Wimbledon semi-final to great rival Novak Djokovic on Saturday.
It's on! Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are set to clash in the French Open quarterfinal on Wednesday.
Rafael Nadal will face Robin Soderling in the first round with a likely fourth round clash against Lleyton Hewitt
"It has been a long time since I had to ask myself the question 'how can I beat this opponent?'," said Federer.
World number one Rafael Nadal, who is struggling to get any match practice before the Australian Open, will play an exhibition event at Melbourne Park in the week leading up to the season opening Grand Slam, organisers said on Monday.
Rafael Nadal reached the Olympic Games quarter-finals on Thursday, winning the first of 10 matches he will need to sweep in just four days if he is to secure triple Rio gold. The 2008 champion defeated Gilles Simon 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 for his eighth win over the Frenchman in nine meetings. Nadal, a 14-time major winner, is playing in his first tournament in two months after a wrist injury caused an early withdrawal from the French Open.
In his recently-released autobiography, Rafa: My Story, Spanish tennis star and World No. 2, Rafael Nadal claims that the separation of his parents made him depressed and 'his competitiveness had waned'. In an extract from the book, published in The Telegraph, Nadal said he was 'left stunned' when his father, Sebastian, broke the news to him that there were problems back home between himself and his mother, Isabel.
Sumit Nagal registered a straight sets victory against Canada's Gabriel Diallo on his debut at the Miami Open.
The Serbian showed no mercy against the Spaniard as he cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 victory at the National Tennis Centre to claim the China Open title
Rafael Nadal has asked the International Tennis Federation to publish the results of his drug tests following an accusation of doping by a former French cabinet minister.
Beaten in just over two hours, Nadal won barely a third of the match's points, was broken five times and conjured only a single break point in the third set, which the Serb saved.
'And that was what I missed the most when I saw Nadal play in Delhi, the banter with my mom, because she's gone and I won't get to share that moment with her.' 'Superfan' Roshneesh Kmaneck on watching Rafa in person.
Rafael Nadal should recover from the back problem that wrecked his Australian Open final after a few days rest, his uncle and coach Toni told Spanish radio on Monday.
Rafael Nadal was exhausted yet exhilarated following his emotional return to action at this month's Rio Olympics after an injury-absence and is looking forward to gearing back up for the US Open starting on Monday.
Rafael Nadal continued to roll at the Chennai Open, entering the last eight stage of the tournament even as fifth seed Nicolas Mahut and seventh seed Werner Eschauer were shown the door on Thursday.
World number one Rafael Nadal strongly denied that he was being coached on Centre Court at Wimbledon on Saturday and said he would take the accusation up with the tournament supervisor.
Rafael Nadal, working his way back to top form after wrist problems last year, screamed with delight on reaching the Argentine Open semi-finals with a 6-1 6-1 rout of Federico Delbonis on Friday.
Rafael Nadal made a successful comeback after a seven-month injury absence with victory in the first round of the Chilean Open doubles on Tuesday.
Rafael Nadal stands on the verge of becoming the best player in the world, even if Monday's rankings showed that he was still number two.
World number two Rafael Nadal has a serious problem with his foot which is likely to affect the rest of his career, his uncle and coach Toni Nadal has said
Brazil right back Danilo has been ruled out of the rest of the World Cup after suffering ankle ligament damage in training on the eve of Friday's quarter-final against Belgium.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances