Rafael Nadal’s remarkable run at Roland Garros came to an end today after he suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Robin Soderling.
Having never lost in the French Open, Nadal was bidding to win a record fifth straight title but the Spaniard was sensationally knocked out by Soderling, the 23rd seed, in four sets.
The Swede triumphed over the world number one 6-2 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 7-6 (7-2) in their fourth-round encounter to record one of the biggest upsets in the tournament’s history.
24-year-old Soderling will be appearing at the Liverpool International Tennis Tournament at Calderstones Park which starts on Wednesday June 17.
Tournament organiser Anders Borg said, "We have a tradition of attracting the game's top talent to our tournament, such as Ivan Ljubcic, David Ferrer and Novak Djokovic who have all gone on to break into the world's top ten.
"Once again we are thrilled to have attracted one of the game's rising stars and we all now how Robin can go all the way at Roland Garros."
