Rafael Nadal lost at the French Open this weekend for the first time ever. Ever. Up until now, he was the King of Clay, a whopping 31-0 at the French Open. That’s obscene. Yet here we are, and Nadal has lost at Roland Garros to Robin Soderling, the 25th ranked player in the world. A player who Nadal had crushed a month before 6-0, 6-1. This is pretty amazing. Once the surprise wears off, there are some serious historical implications.
First, Nadal’s streak at Roland Garros is over. He now sits tied with Bjorn Borg with four consequitive titles there and it’s hard to imagine he’ll be able to restart and maintain that streak long enough to break it. The most important development though has nothing to do with Rafael nadal. Soderling’s victory has removed the largest obstacle in Roger Federer’s way to winning The French Open. That title would put him even with Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand-Slam titles and allow him to do what Sampras never did: win all four Grand Slam titles. All thanks to Robing Soderling. Who woulda thought?
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