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
Rafael Nadal career statistics and intensity, in April 2018, Nadal became the first player, male or female, to amass 400+ match wins on both hard and clay courts with 425 and 400, respectively. The achievement speaks to his versatility, as 425 hard court wins ranks him No. 9 on the Open Era list, and his 900 total match wins, which has only been matched by four other players, over 16 seasons speaks volumes to his longevity. In 2008, Nadal became the second Spanish man to win Wimbledon. Nadal is only the third male player in the Open Era to have won the French Open