Rafael Nadal's record of 12 French Opens will remain unbroken forever, feels Soderling

11 years ago to this day - on 31 May 2009 - Robin Soderling sent shock waves across the Roland Garros grounds. He did something that was deemed unimaginable until then - toppling Rafael Nadal on his favorite red dirt in Paris.

The Spaniard hadn't tasted defeat on his previous four visits to Paris, and had come to this fourth-round encounter riding on a 31-match winning streak at the French Open. Unstoppable and invincible in every respect, the King of Clay was looking to extend his reign for a fifth time.

But Soderling dashed those hopes with a performance that would go on to be etched in the history books.

A dejected Rafael Nadal during the 2009 French Open encounter with Robin Soderling

The Swede's forehand refused to stop firing on the day, as he crushed 63 winners past a hapless Nadal. The 6-2. 6(2)-7, 6-4, 7-6(2) win showed the world how relentless aggression can get the better of Nadal even on his favourite surface, and raised the hopes of the Spaniard's other challengers.

Soderling, who would go on to lose the final to Roger Federer, continued to be hailed for that massive victory for the rest of his career.

Rafael Nadal (left) and Robin Soderling after the match

The Swede, who was forced to hang up his racquet due to persistent mononucleosis, recently shared his experience of that unforgettable day on the website 'Behind the Racquet'. The ramifications of that landmark win were huge, and Soderling wrote about how his name will always be associated Rafael Nadal and Roland Garros.

Don't think anyone expected me to beat Rafael Nadal: Soderling

Soderling also talked about how it was difficult for him to focus on the rest of the tournament after pulling off the impossible. To his credit, the Swede did go on to win his next two matches, before falling short at the last hurdle.

"People always bring up when I beat Rafael Nadal at the 2009 French Open," Soderling wrote. "Of course it was a great feeling. I don’t think anyone in the world expected me to win that match.

"It was difficult because right after shaking hands I realized that it wasn’t the finals. I thought to myself, ‘Okay, don’t be too happy, don’t relax too much’. I didn’t want to be that guy to beat Rafa but then lose in the finals.

I just wanted to stay focused because if you relax even a little bit you lose a match, like a Grand Slam final, easily."

It took Soderling some time to fathom what he managed to achieve that day. But the rest of the world knew what it really meant; the Swede talked about how his phone was flooded with messages right after he converted match point.

"At the time I did not realize how big of an accomplishment it was. I remember getting back to the locker room and having about 350 texts messages. It kind of started to hit me that this was a big thing."

Appreciate the support but the bigger story is Rafael Nadal: Soderling

Rafael Nadal with the Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy after winning the French Open for the 12th time

Despite having been one of just two men to have stopped the Spanish juggernaut on the terre battue of Roland Garros, the 35-year-old Soderling has tremendous respect for Nadal. He understands all the adulation surrounding that one big win, but feels that what the Spaniard has achieved is beyond anything that he himself has done.

Since that defeat Nadal has gone on to lift the trophy a staggering eight times, taking his total number of titles to an unprecedented 12 - the most that any player has ever won at a Major. And Soderling is very confident that that record will remain insurmountable till the end of time.

"I appreciate all the support I got that day and still get for winning that match but the bigger story is Nadal. We will never ever see someone winning 12 Roland Garros again,” Soderling said.