Getting crushed by Rafael Nadal helped me beat him: Robin Soderling on famous 2009 win

Two-time Roland Garros finalist Robin Soderling, and author of arguably the greatest upset in the Open Era, talked extensively about his experience at Roland Garros 2009. Soderling said he was 'in the zone' against Rafael Nadal, but also that there was a bit of luck involved in his famous fourth round win.

The Swede was speaking on the latest edition of The Tennis Podcast, with David Law, Catherine Whitaker and Matt Roberts. Throwing light on his mindset and confidence that day, Soderling showered praise on the Big 3 and stressed on just how difficult it is to beat them.

Coming into the fourth-round clash with the then four-time defending Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal, Robin Soderling was a cumulative 0-17 against the Big 3 of Roger Federer, Nadal and Novak Djokovic. However, the big Swede remembers entering the tournament feeling good about his game.

"I remember coming into the tournament in great shape, playing really well the week before. I have some memories. I felt a bit secure in my game. I won a couple of matches without playing my best tennis," recalled Soderling about his fairytale run to the final at 2009 Roland Garros.

Roland Garros 2009 Re-Lived @RSoderling tells us how he went on court with the belief to beat Nadal despite a 6-1, 6-0 loss in Rome, how it felt to be the man to do it, and what it was like facing Federer in the final with history on the line. Listen- https://t.co/Il45KaIQot pic.twitter.com/S0MAwxP670

— The Tennis Podcast (@TennisPodcast) June 5, 2020

By beating David Ferrer in the third round, Robin Soderling went past the third round at a Grand Slam for the very first time. However, he was then in the crosshairs of a certain Rafael Nadal, who had never lost in 31 previous matches at Roland Garros.

The pair had met a few weeks earlier at the Rome Masters, where Rafael Nadal thrashed the Swede for the loss of a solitary game. But Robin Soderling said the crushing loss gave him an idea of how to beat the King of Clay in the future.

"Strange as it may sound, that Rome match helped me a lot," Soderling said. "He really crushed me that day. (But) it was a tougher match than the score showed. I lost big but I didn't play a bad match. And I realised what I needed to do to prepare a gameplan to play against him on clay in the future."

Robin Soderling talks about his gameplan against Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros 2009

Robin Soderling after his victory over Rafael Nadal at 2009 Roland Garros

Facing Rafael Nadal at his Roland Garros bastion, Robin Soderling was under no illusions about the enormity of the challenge in hand. The Swede revealed he had nothing to lose that day, and so decided to play as aggressively as possible.

"By beating Ferrer, I was past the third round at a Grand Slam for the first time. Against Nadal, I had basically nothing to lose. No one in the world expected me to win," Soderling said.

"I knew I had to play aggressive against Nadal, take my chances and go for my shots. That was normally my game I just felt that I had to do it even better and play even more aggressive."

Soderling reminisced how he got off to a good start, which gave him the feeling that Rafael Nadal had to 'step up' to beat him.

"I got off to a good start. I won the first set. I played well but I thought I could play better. I felt Rafa needed to step up if was going to beat me."

Of course, Rafael Nadal did step up in the second to make it a set apiece. The Swede talked about that set in detail, where he felt Rafael Nadal was second-best for large swathes.

"I was actually the better player in the second but played a poor tiebreak," Soderling said. "That was the only part of the set I played bad and that cost me the set. It was tough. Going up two sets to love would have been a different story than one set all."

But Soderling was not going to fade away. Rafael Nadal's momentum of winning the second set was short-lived, and he fell behind an early break in the third. That was all the Swede needed to reassert his ascendancy in the match.

"I told myself that (the second set) was my set. Then I was a little bit lucky to get an early break in the third. That really helped me to forget about the second and look forward."

On being asked if he felt that Rafael Nadal had any physical issues that day, Robin Soderling said that he was too focused on the job at hand and did not think about the opponent.

"I never think about my opponent," the Swede said. "That day I was in the zone. Even though lot of people were there, I didn't hear them. I was focused on winning the next point. To beat Nadal on clay in a best of five, you cannot look too far ahead. It's like running a marathon. But if you think about what is going to happen in the future, it gets tough."

Soderling went on to add that that was easier said than done. It is extremely tough to maintain your focus in such long matches, especially since points against Rafael Nadal on clay seldom come easy.

"It was really tough to focus on one point at a time. It's extremely difficult because you play a lot of points in a match like that."

Robin Soderling was asked about his reaction in the immediate aftermath of becoming the first player to beat Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros.

"Of course, after the match I knew it was a big achievement. As the year rolled by, it became a bigger achievement. He has lost only two matches at Roland Garros. I don't think we are going to see anybody like him in our lifetime."

Robin Soderling then offered a sneak peek into the mindset required to beat the Big 3 of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

"I have a lot of respect for Rafa and all the other top players. It is tough playing the three best players in history. It's important when you go into a match, you have to show your opponent that you are there to win. A lot of players want to win but don't believe 100% that they can beat them when they step on to the court. It is so much difficult to beat them if you do not believe you can do so."

Soderling then spoke about not letting the euphoria of his win over Rafael Nadal derail his tournament.

"After the match against Rafa, I told myself I am still in the tournament. It was not the final, even though it felt like a final. I did not want to play a poor match in the next round after beating Rafa."

Robin Soderling went on to win two more matches, to reach his first Grand Slam final - where he came up short against Roger Federer.