There is arguably no better version of any athlete ever than Rafael Nadal on a clay court.
And there is perhaps no harder challenge in sports than defeating Nadal at Roland Garros, a feat only three players have ever managed.
One of those players was Alexander Zverev, who picked up a win over the Spaniard on his old stomping ground towards the end of his career in 2024.
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Novak Djokovic overcame Nadal twice at Roland Garros, doing so in the 2015 quarterfinals as well as the 2021 semifinals.
The third man to do it was not Roger Federer, nor was it Andy Murray, Juan Martin Del Potro, Stan Wawrinka or David Ferrer.
It was Robin Soderling of Sweden.
Robin Soderling’s victory over Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros in 2009
In the fourth round of the French Open in 2009, Nadal and Soderling met for the fourth time.
Nadal had won their first three matches on the tour, and had handed Soderling a heavy 6-1, 6-0 defeat just weeks prior on clay at the Italian Open.
Clearly, Soderling had learned some lessons from that loss in Italy, as he went on to deliver one of the biggest upsets of all time in the French capital.
Soderling beat Nadal in four sets, 6-2, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, becoming the first player ever to win against the King of Clay at Roland Garros, and denying him a fifth title in a row.
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Explaining how he won in an interview with the BBC in 2018, Soderling said: “On that day, everything worked for me.
“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.
“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.”
Soderling advanced to the final of Roland Garros that year, but ultimately lost to Federer.
Michael Chang’s overview of Rafael Nadal’s game
Discussing Nadal’s game, former Roland Garros champion Michael Chang said: “He has the uncanny ability of being able to hit a lot of forehands and move very well on clay.
“He knows how to manipulate the angles to build to get people out of position.
“He is very aggressive, although patient when he needs to be, but for the most part if the shot is there he is taking it and going for it.
“He’s the one manipulating, making you move and putting you in awkward positions to the point where he has easy cutaways.”
Nadal won a record total of 14 Roland Garros titles in his career, the last of which he claimed in 2022.
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