Roland Garros has frequently been one of those prodigious stages on which the best clay court players have succeeded over and over again. They have ruled imperiously on the red clay, casting rivals aside with regularity and without hesitation, collecting titles in clusters, habitually carving out victories at a place where artists, craftsman and those who work the hardest reap the largest rewards. The unflappable Bjorn Borg secured the premier clay court crown of them all for the first time in 1974, defended his turf in 1975, and later swept four championships in a row from 1978-81. The gracious and graceful Chris Evert won a record seven titles in a span from 1974-86. The charismatic Guga Kuerten was three times a victor from 1997-2001.
And then, of course, along came the redoubtable Rafael Nadal to garner four consecutive titles from 2005-2008. Nadal was the overwhelming favorite to win a fifth straight title this year. He had never lost a match at Roland Garros. He had been the dominant clay court competitor this spring, adding three more titles on that surface to his collection. But Nadal was beaten for the first time in 49 best of five set matches on clay across his career, the victim of one of the biggest upsets ever at a major championship. Sweden’s towering Robin Soderling toppled Nadal 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 7-6 (2) in the round of 16, turning the tournament upside down, altering the outlook of every other top player.
Stay tuned for an even more exciting 2010!
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