Then again, Müller and Nadal were putting on a such a compelling show, those fans might have stayed put.

Nadal’s loss was so unexpected because he has played very well in the first half of the year, especially on clay, where he cruised to his record 10th French Open title last month. Over his first three matches at Wimbledon, his form was holding on the dry grass and dirty patches of the courts. Nadal acknowledged that the conditions were increasingly favoring his preferred clay-court style of play.

But Müller’s big serve and strong net play were built for grass, erasing Nadal’s momentum entering the match.

“I lost in the fourth round,” Nadal lamented. “That’s not the result that I was expecting.”

Müller is now 11-1 on grass this season. He dominated the first two sets, using his deceptive toss and serve to confuse Nadal, who did not break until the third set.

But Nadal moved back a step from the baseline to get a bit more time to return with more authority, and gained momentum with each successful stroke.

When he finally broke to make it 3-1 in the third set, Nadal yelled to emphasize the point, inviting the fans to join the fray on his behalf.

When he held his serve to go up by 4-1, he thrust his fist, jumped into the air — without hitting his head this time — and yelled. The audience responded, and Nadal rode the wave to capture the set.