Rafael Nadal was largely unbeatable at Roland Garros, but the first star to beat him revealed his exact tactics for the iconic win.
Nadal won the tournament 14 times between 2005 and 2022, rightly earning the nickname, ‘King of Clay’ in the process.
The Spaniard was unstoppable on the surface for much of his career, with Nadal even winning the ‘Clay Slam’ in 2010.
The star who inflicted his first loss at Roland Garros told pundits the tactics he brought into the game with the legend.
Robin Soderling outlined the tactics needed to defeat Rafael Nadal
Soderling inflicted Nadal’s very first defeat at Roland Garros in 2009 and the Swede detailed exactly how he did it.
“On that day everything worked for me,” Soderling said to BBC World Service after beating Nadal in a five-set classic at Roland Garros.
The Swedish star, who lost in the final of the tournament to Roger Federer, shocked the world by inflicting one of Nadal’s four losses at the tournament.
Soderling never won a Grand Slam, but he did reach back-to-back finals at Roland Garros in 2009 and 2010.
The star outlined his tactical plan to defeat Nadal at the tournament. “You have to be extremely aggressive. There is no other way of beating him on clay.”
“You have to play a little bit flatter than you usually do, play close to the baseline and take your chances,” he added.
“You need to play with smaller margins and take some risks because no-one will beat him staying two metres from the baseline and beating him on his own terms. You have to take the initiative.”
Rafael Nadal’s other losses at Roland Garros
Only three people, including Soderling, defeated the King of Clay on the hallowed courts of Roland Garros.
Novak Djokovic, Nadal’s nemesis for much of his career, inflicted two of those losses at the iconic Grand Slam.
Djokovic toppled Nadal in the quarterfinal in 2015, as well as the semi-final in 2021, the latter of which saw him lifting the trophy.
The other star to defeat Nadal at Roland Garros came later in his career, when Alexander Zverev knocked the Spaniard out of the first round in 2024.
