PARIS, May 31 (Reuters) - Four-times champion Rafael Nadal was knocked out in the fourth round of the French Open on Sunday, beaten 6-2 6-7 6-4 7-6 by Sweden’s Robin Soderling in one of the biggest shocks ever seen at Roland Garros. The world number one, who was seeking a record fifth successive title, had taken a 31-0 record into the contest as he had not lost a match at the claycourt grand slam since his Paris debut in 2005.
Soderling paid little attention to the script as he brought the world number one down on his knees in a 3-1/2 hour tussle.
“I have to accept with the same calm when I win than when I lose. After four years, I lose here, and the season continues,” a gracious Nadal told a news conference.
“This is not a tragedy, losing here in Paris. It had to happen one day.”
Nadal, who had thrashed Soderling 6-1 6-0 in Rome last month, said he could not keep his nerve in the moments of the match.
“Sure, he did well. He did very well but I didn’t play my best tennis. I didn’t play my tennis, and for that reason I lose. That’s it,” he said.
“I was not calm enough to face the important points, so I had to fight. But sometimes fighting is not enough. You have to play a good level of tennis.
“Sometimes people think I win because I’m physically fit, but, no. When I win, it’s because I play well, and that wasn’t the case today.”
JUBILANT SODERLING
Soderling, seeded 23rd, was jubilant.
“I told myself this is just another match,” said the jubilant 23rd seed, who will next face either Nadal’s fellow Spaniard, 10th seed Fernando Verdasco, or Russian Nikolay Davydenko.
“All the time, I was trying to play as if it was a training session. When I was 4-1 up in the tiebreak, I started to believe.
“I tried to keep telling myself I had to believe. I played a great match. If he thinks he plays bad, that’s his choice.”
It seemed as if Nadal’s left arm had shortened overnight as the Spaniard often failed to retrieve his opponent’s groundstrokes in a one-sided first set.
Soderling broke in the third game when Nadal scooped the ball long and did it again in the eighth to seal the set after moving the Spaniard from left to right.
Nadal broke for 2-1 in the second set, firing a backhand from behind the baseline that Soderling failed to control.
Soderling broke back for 5-5 with a diving volley winner, forcing Nadal to a tiebreak which the Spaniard easily took 7-2.
The top seed was not out of trouble, though, as it was not enough to break the Swede’s resilience.
Soderling broke in the seventh game of the third set when Nadal’s attempted lob went long.
He then held serve confidently and took the set when Nadal netted a forehand. The Spaniard closed his eyes as if he refused to believe what was happening.
Following an early exchange of breaks, both players held serve to take it to another tiebreak. A string of Nadal unforced errors earned Soderling a 6-1 lead.
The Spaniard saved the first match point with a forehand winner down the line but he volleyed wide on the second.