Full list of players who beat Rafael Nadal at French Open

Rafael Nadal has a success rate of 96.5% in French Open history.

Rafael Nadal and Roland Garros are a match made in heaven. Undoubtedly, the Spaniard is the greatest player to have ever played on clay courts; his impressive record at the French Open is a testament to his legacy and greatness.

Nadal has proven to be a source of inspiration for millions of young boys and girls, as he has become the face of the competition.

The 14-time Roland Garros winner was honored in style at the iconic Philippe Chatrier court, where the Spanish icon’s footprints were imprinted on the court near the net. Making his French Open debut in 2005, Nadal triumphed over Mariano Puerta in the final, 6–7, 6–3, 6–1, 7–5 to win the men’s singles tennis title.

Having featured in 19 French Open tournaments, Nadal won 14 of them and withdrew from the 2016 event mid-way due to injury. The Spaniard boasts a stunning win-loss record of 112-4, once again underscoring Nadal’s dominance on the Parisian clay.

Robin Soderling – 2009, 4th Round

In 2009, Nadal’s 31-match winning streak at Roland Garros came to an astonishing end when Robin Soderling shocked the tennis world by defeating him in the fourth round. This was Nadal’s first-ever loss at the French Open and his first loss on clay in best-of-five matches.

Soderling played aggressively, hitting powerful groundstrokes and serving well, leading to a four-set victory, while Nadal struggled physically, possibly due to injury. His victory is still one of the biggest upsets in Roland Garros history, paving the way for Roger Federer to claim his only French Open title that year.

Novak Djokovic – 2015, Quarter-final

In the 2015 quarterfinals, Novak Djokovic ended Nadal’s 39-match winning streak at Roland Garros, a record for the tournament. The Serbian won in straight sets, asserting his dominance with precision, consistency, and tactical superiority, breaking the Spaniard’s serve multiple times and controlling baseline rallies.

This loss could have helped Djokovic complete a calendar slam, but it wasn’t to be, as Stan Warwinka prevailed in the final in four sets.

Novak Djokovic – 2021, Semi-final

Novak Djokovic is the only player in tennis history to beat Rafael Nadal twice in the French Open. The Spaniard had won the previous four editions of Roland Garros and was looking to beat his record, but Djokovic had other ideas.

After dropping the first set, the Serbian unleashed a new level to upstage a fit and firing Nadal, in potentially the Serbian’s best result on the Parisian clay. Djokovic went on to claim the title, beating Stefanos Tsitsipas, coming back from two sets down, to lift his second French Open title.

Alexander Zverev – 2024, 1st Round

In what proved to be Rafael Nadal’s final Roland Garros appearance, Alexander Zverev defeated him in straight sets in the opening round. Nadal, unseeded due to injury-related ranking drop, faced a tough draw against the world No. 4.

Zverev played aggressively and consistently, exploiting Nadal’s limited movement and lack of match rhythm after a long injury layoff. The Spaniard was well past his prime, and the German’s hard ball-striking proved to be way too difficult to contend with for the 14-time Paris winner. The defeat ended an era for the greatest player to have played at the French Open.

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