Fernando Verdasco's slide down the rankings shows how hard it is to stay at the top of men's tennis, according to his Wimbledon quarter-final opponent Andy Murray.
Four years ago the Spaniard looked like he would be a regular in the latter stages of grand slams when he beat Murray at the Australian Open and pushed Rafael Nadal all the way in the semi-finals.
But today's match will be Verdasco's first quarter-final at Wimbledon and his first at any grand slam for almost three years.
During that time the 29-year-old has slipped not just outside the top 10 but outside the top 50, and it was not until Eastbourne just before Wimbledon that he reached his first quarter-final in any tournament this year.
Murray said of Verdasco's slide: "(I'm) a little bit (surprised). I lost to him at the Aussie Open a few years ago in the fourth round. He went on to have that great match with Rafa there. He was playing unbelievable tennis.
"He can play well on all the surfaces. It's just the consistency hasn't been there.
"It isn't easy to stay at the top of the game for a long time. It takes a lot of concentration, hard work and focus, also a bit of luck as well.
"He's had a few injuries. He's changed rackets quite a few times. That will have had something to do with it."
A glance at their head-to-head record implies there is not too much for Murray to worry about, with the Australian Open defeat the Scot's only loss in nine previous matches.
But Verdasco has beaten some good grass-court players in his opening four matches and his big serve and forehand look to be working well.
It will also be the first time in 2013 that Murray has faced a left-hander, and he hit with Swedish doubles specialist Johan Brunstrom yesterday to prepare.
The world number two said: "I think it's pretty amazing six months into the year (not to have played a left-hander).
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"I don't normally mind the way the ball comes off the racket from the back of the court. I grew up playing with my brother so that almost feels a bit more natural to me than a righty. But the serve is what's different and the way you move on the return."
Despite his indifferent results this year, Verdasco has been growing in confidence under new coach Ricardo Sanchez and having switched rackets, and says he has never felt better on the court.
The 29-year-old said: "The last two years haven't been good for me and my ranking shows that. It has gone down a lot and I lost a lot of confidence every time I lost in the first round.
"But I started training well the week before Madrid, and really since Madrid the feeling has been different for me. The feelings I have now, they are the best feelings I have had in my career."
