Wimbledon recap Day 4: The Rafael Nadal law that explains how hard elite tennis can be - The Athletic

On Day 4 of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships, Australian 20-year-old Maya Joint, who had upset the returning Serena Williams in a high-profile Centre Court match on Tuesday, was eliminated in her next round match on Thursday, illustrating what the article calls 'Nadal's Law.' This concept is based on the historical pattern that between 2012 and 2017, none of the seven players who defeated Rafael Nadal in shock upsets before Grand Slam quarterfinals went on to win another match at those same tournaments. The Day 4 recap also noted that American players were positioning themselves ahead of the July 4 weekend, while many of the previous year's surprise results failed to repeat.