Robin Söderling

Robin Söderling is a Swedish former tennis player best known for becoming the first man to defeat Rafael Nadal at the French Open, on his way to back-to-back Roland Garros finals.

In a single afternoon at the 2009 French Open, Robin Söderling ended Rafael Nadal's 31-match winning streak at Roland Garros — the only defeat Nadal suffered at the tournament across a 15-year stretch — and then reached the final, where his loss to Roger Federer completed the Swiss player's career Grand Slam. He turned professional in 2001 and spent several years establishing himself on the ATP Tour, breaking into the top 50 with his first title win in Lyon in 2004, before a change of coach to Magnus Norman in 2009 helped unlock the best form of his career. Söderling's career-defining moment came at the 2009 French Open, where, ranked 23rd in the world, he stunned four-time defending champion Rafael Nadal in the fourth round, ending Nadal's 31-match winning streak at Roland Garros and handing him his first-ever defeat at the tournament. Söderling went on to reach his first Grand Slam final, where he lost to Roger Federer — a result that completed Federer's career Grand Slam. The following year, Söderling reached a second consecutive French Open final, this time avenging his semi-final path by beating Federer in the quarter-finals and ending the Swiss star's run of 23 consecutive Grand Slam semi-final appearances, before losing the final to Nadal in straight sets. Söderling's powerful baseline game, built around a heavy forehand and one of the tour's biggest serves, translated well beyond clay: he reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon and the US Open in both 2009 and 2010, won the prestigious Paris Masters in 2010, and climbed to a career-high ranking of World No. 4 in November 2010. His aggressive, hard-hitting style also produced notable wins over Federer and Nadal during his peak years. However, his career came to an abrupt end when a bout of infectious mononucleosis, compounded by panic attacks, forced him out of competition after July 2011 at the age of 26; he officially announced his retirement in December 2015, having won 10 ATP singles titles and reached 20 tour finals.

Aggressive baseline power game built on a heavy forehand, big serve, and two-handed backhand

Remembered as one of the tour's most feared big hitters of his era and for delivering one of the biggest upsets in Grand Slam history

• 2x French Open finalist (2009, 2010)
• ATP Masters 1000 champion (2010 Paris Masters)
• Career-high ranking of World No. 4 (2010)
• 10 ATP singles titles