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Believe it or not, it’s true. The four-time defending champion actually LOST at Roland Garros! Nadal fell victim to 23rd-ranked Robin Soderling; the Swedish tennis player defeated the Spanish tennis player by the score of 6-2, 6-7 , 6-4, 7-6.

With this loss, Nadal’s 31-match winning streak in the French Open came to an end.

“When one player plays bad, [he] must lose,” said Nadal. “[It] was my fault. … I didn’t play my best tennis and for that reason I lose.”

“I played well today, but I think I played some even better matches in my career,” said Soderling. “I worked good with my forehand, and my backhand worked well, as well. I worked my backhand flat and tried to go around and hit my forehand. I think I played exactly the way I wanted to play before the match. I served well, extremely well, and that really, really helped me today.”

In his 31 previous matches at Roland Garros, Nadal had just lost a total of seven sets; since the 2007 Final against Roger Federer, Nadal had won every set in the French Open.

“He didn’t surprise me because I know how he plays and how dangerous he can be,” said Nadal. “I didn’t play aggressive.” Nadal was trying to become the first male tennis player to ever win five consecutive French Open titles.