"First time I’m not going to celebrate my birthday in Roland Garros" - When Rafael Nadal lamented 'unfortunate' French Open loss to Robin Soderling

Rafael Nadal's streak of celebrating his birthday at the French Open ended in 2009 when he suffered his first defeat at Roland Garros, at the hands of Robin Soderling.

The Spaniard made his first appearance at the French Open in 2005, beating Mariano Puerta in the final to triumph at the claycourt Major on his tournament debut. Over the next three years, he solidified his legacy at Roland Garros, beating arch-rival Roger Federer in three consecutive finals.

In 2009, Rafael Nadal entered the French Open as the overwhelming favorite to clinch his fifth consecutive title. He made a strong start to his campaign, with dominant straight-set wins over Marcos Daniel, Teymuraz Gabashvili and Lleyton Hewitt to reach the fourth round.

However, Robin Soderling defied expectations by pulling off one of the greatest upsets in tennis history, beating the Spaniard 6-2, 6-7(2), 6-4, 7-6(2). With his unexpected triumph, Soderling became the first player to beat Rafael Nadal at the French Open, snapping the Spaniard's impressive 31-match winning streak at the claycourt Major.

Reflecting on the loss in his post-match press conference, Nadal emphasized that the defeat put his remarkable track record at Roland Garros into perspective, highlighting the immense difficulty of his accomplishments.

"No. No, defeats never make you grow, but you also realize how difficult what I achieved up until today was, and this is something you need sometimes. You need a defeat to give value to your victories," he said.

However, the Spaniard, whose birthday falls on June 3, lamented the misfortune of being unable to ring in his 23rd birthday at the event in customary fashion, having celebrated the special day during his campaign at the French Open each year.

"I’m 22. Well, 23 in a couple of days. But unfortunately, it’s the first time I’m not going to celebrate my birthday in Roland Garros. I hope I’ll be able to celebrate more here and be back next year and try and win," he said.

Roger Federer won his maiden French Open title after the Spaniard's exit, beating Soderling 6-1, 7-6(1), 6-4 in the final.

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Rafael Nadal avenged his loss to Robin Soderling in French Open 2010 final

The Spaniard beat Robin Soderling (left) in the 2010 French Open final

Seeking redemption after his shock exit from the 2009 French Open, Rafael Nadal entered the 2010 edition of the event as the second seed. He triumphed over Gianni Mina, Horacio Zeballos, Lleyton Hewitt and Thomas Bellucci in commanding fashion to advance to the quarterfinals without dropping a set.

The Spaniard beat compatriot Nicolas Almagro 7-6(2), 7-6(3), 6-4 to reach the semifinals. With his 6-2, 6-3, 7-6(6) win over Jurgen Melzer, he set up a much-awaited rematch against Soderling in the final.

Nadal exorcized the demons of his shock loss to the Swede in the fourth round the previous year, securing a dominant 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 win to clinch his fifth Roland Garros title.