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
2005 French Open – Men's Singles 2005 French Open – Men's Singles Gastón Gaudio was the defending champion, but lost in the fourth round to David Ferrer. Rafael Nadal won in the final 6–7, 6–3, 6–1, 7–5 in his first French Open appearance (and first as a seeded player in major), as well as his first major final against Mariano Puerta, who also played in his first (and only) grand slam final. This was also the beginning of an unprecedented run of success at Roland Garros for Nadal, who would go on to win the tournament a record eleven times. Future three-time Grand Slam champion Stanislas