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
2009 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open – Men's Singles 2009 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open – Men's Singles Andy Murray was the defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals to Juan Martín del Potro. Roger Federer won the final against Rafael Nadal, 6–4, 6–4. The semifinal match between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic was at the time the longest men’s tennis match in the Open era played with the best-of-three system, stretching for 4 hours and 3 minutes with Nadal prevailing, 3–6, 7–6, 7–6. This record was later broken by Roger Federer and Juan Martín del Potro at the 2012 London Olympics in their 4-hour and 26 minute semifinal match.