Rafael Nadal’s 21-match unbeaten run on clay ended as he was knocked out of the Madrid Open in the quarter-finals by Dominic Thiem.
Nadal had been unbeaten on the surface since losing to Thiem in May 2017 and again lost to the Austrian 7-5 6-3.
The Spaniard had not dropped a set on clay since losing to Thiem in 2017 and set a new record of 50 consecutive set wins on a single surface on Thursday.
The defeat means Roger Federer will replace Nadal as world number one.
Federer returns to the summit despite not playing since 24 March and sitting out the clay-court season, as Nadal will lose the ranking points from his win in Madrid last year when the list is updated on Monday.
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