Soderling hoping Nadal will lose at French Open

Robin Soderling is sick of being the answer to a favourite quiz question, the one which asks who is the only player to beat nine-time champion Rafael Nadal at the French Open.

That is why he will be happy if the Spaniard’s current vulnerability on his beloved claycourts continues when the tournament begins at Roland Garros this weekend.

Nadal boasts an incredible 66-1 record at the claycourt Grand Slam, stretching back to 2005 when he won the title on his debut, the only loss coming against Swede Soderling in 2009.

Soderling went on to reach the final, losing to Switzerland’s Roger Federer, and he made the final again a year later when Nadal took his revenge.

“It says a lot more about Rafa than it does about me,” Soderling, in an interview in the Daily Telegraph, said of his unique place in French Open folklore.

“It will never happen again, not in 100 years. “It’s good to be the only one, but everybody is asking me about only that match. I am really proud of other things in my career: being in the top five, reaching the final of a grand slam twice. I’m actually even <g data-gr-id="24">more proud</g> of making it to the French Open final in 2010 than the previous year.

“So maybe it’s better if Rafa loses again, then everybody will stop asking me about it.”