'I didn't know how to play with topspin' - How Soderling went against convention to beat Rafael Nadal

One of the most difficult things to accomplish in sport - let alone just in tennis - is to beat Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros. To date, the legendary claycourter has lost just two matches out of the 95 that he has played on Parisian clay.

The first player to achieve that impossible feat was Sweden’s Robin Soderling, who stunned not just Rafael Nadal but the entire world when he beat the Spaniard in the 2009 fourth round. What makes Soderling’s triumph all the more shocking and impressive is that he adopted a strategy that goes against conventional wisdom and still emerged victorious.

In a recent essay for ATPTour.com, Robin Soderling - amongst other topics - gave an insight into how he got the better of Rafael Nadal.

"If I can help just one player, one person, that's enough for me." 🙏@RSoderling gets candid about his mental health on the tour in this week's #TennisUnited 👇

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 31, 2020

Robin Soderling defied conventional claycourt wisdom to get the better of Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal’s game complements the clay-courts of Roland Garros perfectly. His topspin-laden shots enjoy a great payoff from the naturally slow surface; with big margins for error, Rafael Nadal is almost guaranteed to get his shots in the court and at an uncomfortable height for the opponent.

Being a southpaw also has its advantages for the Mallorcan, as his crosscourt forehand tends to curve and spin away from the backhand of right-handed players. Add to that his world-class retrieving skills and physicality, and it's easy to see why Rafael Nadal is virtually unbeatable at the French Open.

Rafael Nadal prepares to unleash a topspin heavy forehand

Topspin in itself is generally considered to be a vital attribute in order to do well on clay. Due to the slowness of the surface, hitting flat winners is a very difficult task. For quick players like Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, retrieving becomes the easier choice once the ball slows down after bouncing.

But topspin produces a certain kick-back which can push the opponent out of their preferred hitting position. That in turn helps to create space over the span of a few shots, before eventually finding a winner.

Success on clay and use of topspin go hand-in-hand, as has been demonstrated by Rafael Nadal time and again.

Rafael Nadal has 12 French Open titles to date

But Robin Soderling did the exact opposite, and still managed to get the better of Rafael Nadal. He admitted that he didn’t care for the fine margins during that iconic match in 2009, as he ‘didn’t know how to play with topspin’.

“At 2009 Roland Garros, I became the first player to beat Rafael Nadal at that Grand Slam championship. I went into the match with absolutely nothing to lose and everything to win. I didn’t know how to play with topspin anyway, so I just played even flatter.”

Robin Soderling hit extremely flat against Rafael Nadal at the 2009 French Open

Soderling has one of the widest wingspans in the game, and he deployed that to full effect in order to generate incredible power on his forehand. His nimble footwork also helped him time the ball well and hit it as flat as possible.

Not only did that give him a string of winners, but it also helped in forcing errors from Nadal who had to bend more than usual to return his shots. Throughout the video below it can be seen how Soderling waited for Nadal's returns to drop in height before pulverizing the ball back at the Spaniard.

Soderling's ultra-aggressive strategy also helped him come to the net more often and close out the points against the Spaniard. The speed and power of Soderling’s serve and groundstrokes made Nadal’s returns increasingly shorter, which enabled the Swede to hammer home more winners as the match wore on.

Soderling hit a total of 61 winners against Rafael Nadal as he won 6-2, 6-7(2), 6-4, 7-6(2). The Swede's high-risk approach yielded high rewards as he accurately pointed out in his essay:

“I didn’t care if I missed. I knew I wouldn’t win if I didn’t take my chances and that day it worked out really well. I was playing so freely. That was an amazing feeling."