( CNN ) -- Lukas Rosol shocked the sporting world , and perhaps even himself , by defeating two-time champion Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon , but the unknown Czech is not the first to have triumphed against seemingly impossible odds . The history of sport is littered with tales of underdogs toppling heavily-fancied favorites . But how is it that Rosol , ranked 100th in the world and having won just 17 ATP Tour matches prior to Thursday , can rise to the occasion and defeat an 11-time grand slam winner such as Nadal ? Rosol sends Nadal crashing out of Wimbledon . `` It 's always far easier to strive for a goal than achieve it , '' tennis coach Pete McCraw explained to CNN when asked about how sport 's `` Davids '' can get the better of imposing `` Goliaths . '' `` It 's all mental , you either believe or you do n't , '' he said . `` Truly believe and , as a result , you give yourself a real chance of both playing well and achieving victory in the moment . In the end , so few believe and just want to not get embarrassed . '' McCraw , the current director of coaching for Tennis New Zealand , believes the main difference between title-winning stars like second seed Nadal and underachieving journeymen , such as the 26-year-old Rosol , is mentality and an innate belief in their own ability . Who is Lukas Rosol ? `` Champions really live in a different place than the rest - they dare to dream , '' he said . `` They have the courage to believe and the confidence to create . The result : they succeed . `` In tennis , when any highly-ranked player is taken to five sets , or three in the women 's game , the lower-ranked player drops their level . In the end , they hand victory to the higher-rated player . '' But Rosol did not drop his level . The Wimbledon singles debutant produced devastating strokes in the fifth set to pummel Nadal into submission and reach the third round . His only other appearance on the hallowed grass courts ended in a first-round doubles defeat last year . The 26-year-old 's bullish approached impressed observers all over the world , so is aggression the key to overcoming an imposing opponent ? `` You do n't make top 100 or even the top 10 , let alone win a grand slam , by being aggressive all the time , '' said McCraw , who has worked extensively with stars such as Maria Sharapova and Jelena Jankovic . `` The scoreboard rewards conservative decision-making , the court rewards percentage cross-court tennis . No different to golf -- getting up and down in two shots rather than hitting for the pin . The margins are just not there . `` He played to win , backed himself and held his line at the critical time . It 's what you train for all your career , so when the moment arrives there should be nothing to fear as you have been preparing for this for years . '' Despite his scintillating performance , two tennis greats have questioned whether Rosol can advance past his next match against German 27th seed Philipp Kohlschreiber . Eight-time grand slam champion Jimmy Connors tweeted : `` In â€ªtennis we call Rosol a stopper , he wo n't win or even go deep in tournament but he will stop a top seed from advancing . '' Rosol 's compatriot Martina Navratilova , winner of 18 major singles titles , agreed : `` Happy for Lukas Rosol , but really feeling bad for Rafa . Would be shocked if Rosol can get anywhere near that form again . '' But McCraw argues that speculation over Rosol 's chances in the rest of the tournament is irrelevant , and all that matters is celebrating his remarkable win . `` Who cares , sport is about on the day , on your merit , and Rosol took his chance , he had a go and backed himself on the day and was rewarded . `` It 's got nothing to do with how far he goes after that , only that on this day he lived his dreams , played to or above his potential and the moment rewarded him with a victory . `` Whether he believes in himself again or not , wins another round or not is irrelevant -- that 's sports as it is life . ''
Lukas Rosol beat No . 2 seed Rafael Nadal in five sets at Wimbledon . The Czech ranked No . 2 had only previously won two matches on the ATP Tour . Tennis coach Pete McCraw believes success is down to luck and self - belief . Jimmy Wang and Martina Navratilova doubt Rosol can build on his win .