Rafael Nadal lost the final of the Madrid Open to Roger Federer. This was the first time that Nadal had lost to Federer since the semifinals of the 2007 Tennis Masters Cup. By beating Lleyton Hewitt in the third round of French Open, Nadal set a record of 31 consecutive wins at Roland Garros, beating the previous record of 28 by Björn Borg. This run came to an end on 31 May 2009, when Nadal lost to eventual runner-up, Robin Söderling in the 4th round. This was Nadal's first and, until 2015, only loss at the French Open. After his surprise defeat
2012 French Open – Men's Singles 3 hours of play of the 3:49 total length. 2012 French Open – Men's Singles Rafael Nadal was the two-time defending champion and successfully defended his title defeating Novak Djokovic 6–4, 6–3, 2–6, 7–5 in the final. The win was Nadal's seventh French Open title, surpassing Björn Borg's record of six French Open titles and tying Pete Sampras' Wimbledon record for most title wins at one major and Chris Evert's for most French Open titles achieved by a man or woman. Novak Djokovic had the chance to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four