Rafael Nadal has lost his fear factor as next generation make their mark

Barry Cowan believes players no longer fear Rafael Nadal following the Spaniard’s latest setback on the ATP Tour.

Nadal has suffered semi-final defeats in each of the last two ATP events, both on his favoured clay surface, but after losing to talented Dominic Thiem at the Argentina Open, it was defeat to seasoned campaigner Pablo Cuevas at the Rio Open that should set alarm bells ringing.

Cowan claimed last week that Nadal needed to win in Rio to rebuild his shattered confidence but rather than a morale-boosting fortnight on the red dirt, the world No 5 has been left with more questions to answer after a first-round exit to Fernando Verdasco at the Australian Open