While tennis is often associated with sportsmanship and good manners, the ‘gentleman’s’ sport has had its fair share of troublemakers. From John McEnroe to Nick Kyrgios, outbursts and controversies are not uncommon. However, one player who got under the skin of stars like Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray was Lukáš Rosol, who had some incredible victories but never broke into the Top 10 in singles.
Born in the Czech Republic, Rosol began his professional career in 2004 after progressing through the national tennis ranks. Over the years, he established himself on the ATP tour, competing in numerous international tournaments and steadily building his reputation through consistent performances.
However, he is probably most remembered for his shocking win over Nadal in Wimbledon in 2012. He and the Spaniard faced each other in the second round of the tournament. At the time, the Czech star was the World No. 100, while Nadal was the World No. 2. However, Rosol hit 22 aces to edge out Nada 7–6(7–5), 3–6, 6–4, 6–4 at the Centre Court.
The match didn’t happen without controversy. Nadal, stunned, muttered to himself and even had a heated exchange with the referee. However, he refused to elaborate on what exactly he was arguing about. “So it is not the right moment for me to say what happened out there because it’s going to sound an excuse,” he said, per The Guardian.
Rosol defeated Nadal in Wimbledon in 2012 (Clive Rose/Getty Images)
“It’s always open – it’s sport. Nobody’s unbeaten. Everybody can lose and everybody can win. We’re just people, we’re just humans,“ Rosol told the press at the time, according to The Guardian. However, the win would be his only one over Nadal, who defeated the next three times they met.
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The water bottles incident
The first match definitely set the tone for the future encounters between the players. They met again, two years later, on two occasions. Nadal won in straight sets in Doha, but then they faced each other at Wimbledon again.
It was a heated match, and Rosol didn’t always play fair. Nadal was known for his many superstitions, including the way he positioned his water bottles. During a changeover in the match, Rosol appeared to deliberately knock over one of Nadal’s water bottles. However, the trick didn’t help him much. Nadal got his revenge, winning the match 4–6, 7–6(6), 6–4, 6–4.
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Murray told him everyone on tour ‘hated’ him
In 2016, Rosol made headlines after also getting on Andy Murray’s nerves during a quarterfinals match in Munich. Rosol bumped into him during a changeover in the first set. That upset Murray who later told Rosol before another point, “No one likes you on the tour. Everybody hates you.”
After Murray won the match, Murray told the press (via Tennis Now): “He walked straight into me for no reason. If I walked into someone for no reason I would say sorry. But he did it and then ran to the other end.”
The British star recognized that he talked to Rosol after and that he “should have not said” what he did. “I have had no problems with him before, but a lot of players say he does those sort of things. It’s just silly. It gives more motivation and I told him that in the locker room,” Murray explained.
The pair met again that same year at the US Open first round (which Murray won in straight sets). Ahead of the match, Rosol downplayed the incident: “We are good friends, it was something about nothing,” he told The Guardian.
Rosol had a similar incident in Bucharest that same year, when Guillermo Garcia-Lopez refused initially to shake Rosol’s hand after he took offense to Rosol being rude and complaining to the umpire that Garcia-Lopez took too long between points.
Davis Cup wins and retirement
Rosol achieved notable success following his famous upset of Nadal at Wimbledon. He played a crucial role in the Czech Republic’s Davis Cup triumph later that year, helping secure the nation’s victory in the prestigious team competition. In April 2013, he claimed his first ATP Tour title and his second Davis Cup.
Lukas Rosol won two Davis Cups (Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images)
In February 2013, Rosol was part of the longest ATP doubles match in history, teaming up with Tomas Berdych to defeat Marco Chiudinelli and Stanislas Wawrinka in the Davis Cup first round. The match lasted 7 hours and 1 minute, making it the second-longest ATP match ever, only behind the marathon clash between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon 2010. Rosol reached a career-high ranking of World No. 26 in 2014, marking the peak of his singles career.
After two decades on tour, Rosol announced his retirement in 2024, at 38 years old, reflecting on the difficulty of stepping away from the sport. “Everything ends one day, and this end is harder than any other,” he shared in his farewell message. “Tennis was, is, and will be my whole life. But time does not stop for a man.” Expressing gratitude for the highs and lows of his career, Rosol acknowledged the sacrifices, hard work, and determination that defined his time as a professional player. Even though he might be remembered mostly for just one, perfect, match.
