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
2006 French Open – Men's Singles 2006 French Open – Men's Singles Rafael Nadal was the defending champion, and successfully defended his title in the final 1–6, 6–1, 6–4, 7–6, against Roger Federer. Roger Federer had the chance to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four Grand Slam tournaments at once, having won the preceding Wimbledon, U.S. Open and Australian Open titles. He lost in the final against Rafael Nadal. This would be ultimately be achieved a decade later by Novak Djokovic, at the same tournament, who reached the quarterfinals at the Grand Slam for the first time. This tournament