Rafael Nadal was left mystified by his latest grand slam failure as the Spaniard crashed out in the Australian Open first round with a five-set defeat to Fernando Verdasco.

Rafael Nadal bowed out in the Australian Open first round as fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco came from behind to win 7-6 (8/6), 4-6 3-6 7-6 (7/4) 6-2.