Who did Roger Federer defeat in the 2009 French Open final?

Roger Federer defeated Robin Söderling in the 2009 French Open final.

Federer won the match in straight sets, 6–1, 7–6(7–1), 6–4, on 7 June 2009 at Roland-Garros in Paris. Söderling had reached the final after producing one of the tournament’s biggest shocks: he defeated four-time defending champion Rafael Nadal in the fourth round.

The victory gave Federer his first French Open title and his 14th major championship. It also completed his career Grand Slam, meaning he had won the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open at least once. Before 2009, Federer had lost three consecutive French Open finals to Nadal.

The opponent is sometimes confused with Andy Murray or Nikolay Davydenko, both prominent players of Federer’s era. Rafael Nadal was the most notable missing finalist: Söderling’s upset removed him from the draw before Federer faced the Swede in the championship match. Söderling became the first Swedish men’s singles finalist at a major since Thomas Johansson at the 2002 Australian Open.