Wimbledon 2019: Kyle Edmund exits in second round after losing five-set thriller to Fernando Verdasco

On the final point of the second set of his match against Kyle Edmund on a sun-drenched Centre Court, an irate Fernando Verdasco decided to elaborately duck underneath his opponent’s forehand lob while on the run, only to spin around just in time to watch it land plum on the sideline. The Spaniard padded miserably back to his seat, two down and in serious trouble.

It was to get worse for Verdasco before it was to get better. His play at that point littered with double faults, unforced errors and sloppy shot selection, he lost his opening service game of the pivotal third set, to fall 0-3 behind. Edmund, the British number one, was just twelve points from victory and a place in the third round of Wimbledon for only the second time in his career.

And then the truly decisive moment of this cruellest of five-set matches. Serving at 3-4 in the third set, having already broken back, Verdasco pushed Edmund to the far side of the court with a booming crosscourt forehand. Sliding to return it, Edmund took a tumble, scraping a tame shot back over the net and immediately turning his back to his rival to grab at his knee, as his wily opponent craned his neck to inspect the damage.

“I saw that he was having problems with his knee and that he called the trainer on,” Verdasco said immediately upon leaving the court. “And when I won the third set I could see that the mountain was a little bit shorter, even though obviously there was still a lot of work to do.”

Edmund immediately called for medical assistance after losing the subsequent third-set tie-break — but to little avail. His movement seemingly hampered, he slumped to a dispiriting 4-6, 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-3, 6-4 defeat, failing to reach the second week of Wimbledon for a seventh successive year.

In a surly post-match press conference, Edmund was keen to be seen not to be making easy excuses, instead intimating that poor fitness — rather than the injury — was to blame. “When I slipped, I think my leg just straightened,” he explained. “And the sort of physical intensity that I showed in the first part of the match gradually just declined. I was not able to keep that level up.

“But [the injury] did not hold me back at all. I physically was not able to keep going with, like, the power and reaction and stuff. But that just means I need to improve physically for the next time I step on the court. To play three-and-a-half, four hours you need to put the work in. It doesn’t just happen. So that is something I definitely need to work on for next time.”

The problem for Edmund, ranked 30th in the world, is that this kind of result is hardly an anomaly. Too often recently he has found himself in strong, match winning positions, only to allow commanding leads to slip. This has been a disappointing season pockmarked by injury, with last season’s run to the semi-finals of the Australian Open already seeming a very long time ago.

After this defeat John McEnroe, on commentary duty for the BBC, was particularly damning. “Hopefully he is not injured too much, but the bottom line is that he blew it,” he said cheerily. “It became apparent to me that, if he didn’t win that third set, it was over. He did battle on and he fought but he wasn’t moving as well. And he doesn’t move as well as the top guys in the first place.”

Edmund shrugged off the American’s criticism when it was inevitably regurgitated to him a few moments later. “Right now, there will be a lot of people with a lot of opinions, naturally,” he diplomatically replied. “It’s his opinion. I’m obviously disappointed. And there will be a lot of people saying that — but what can I say?”

The defeat is particularly galling for Edmund because this side of the gentlemen’s singles currently looks so intriguingly open. Seeded players Gael Monfils, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Stan Wawrinka and Alexander Zverev have all fallen, meaning there will be plenty of opportunities for those brave enough to take them. At least until they come up against defending champion Novak Djokovic, who beat Denis Kudla 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 and already looks a sure bet for the final.

Verdasco can meanwhile look forward to a third round match against the entertaining Italian Thomas Fabbiano, who had never won in the Wimbledon main draw before his shock victories over Tsitsipas and Ivo Karlovic this year. “I will try same as I did today from the beginning till the end to do my best and to win the match,” Verdasco said, attempting to reach the fourth round of The Championships for the first time since 2013, when he eventually lost in the quarters to Andy Murray.