VIDEO: Nadal Loses in French Open to Robin Soderling

Nadal Loses In French Open 2009 To Robin Soderling
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Nadal Loses for First Time at French Open

Rafael Nadal has still never played a five-set match at the French Open, but he is no longer undefeated at Roland Garros. In one of the biggest upsets in the long history of tennis, Nadal, the four-time defending champion who had won 31 straight matches here, was beaten in the fourth round , 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 7-6 (2) by Robin Soderling of Sweden.

Though Soderling (seen in the attached video), the 23rd seed, had never reached this stage of a Grand Slam tournament before, he is an established figure on tour whose huge forehand and serve have caused plenty of trouble for the game’s leading men over the years. At Wimbledon in 2007, he pushed Nadal to five sets in the third round before losing.

But this was clay, the gritty surface where Nadal has been the most formidable force since Bjorn Borg, as seen in the video below, the surface where he established his credentials as a champion before expanding his portfolio with victories at Wimbledon last year and the Australian Open this year.

Nadal Loses In French Open 2009 To Robin Soderling