Nadal beats Soderling for 5th French Open title

PARIS — Accustomed to being on the move, Rafael Nadal sat restlessly during a changeover one game from his fifth French Open title.

He jiggled his legs, took two bites of a banana, toweled off his arms and face, then rose and finished the job. Soon he was back in the chair and sobbing into the towel, overcome with the emotion that accompanied his accomplishment.

The relentless Spaniard reclaimed his crown Sunday as the King of Clay, avenging his lone Roland Garros defeat by beating Robin Soderling 6-4, 6-2, 6-4.

"It's the most emotional day in my career," Nadal told the crowd in French during the trophy ceremony.

His bad memories of 2009 included not only an upset loss to Soderling at Roland Garros, but the separation of his parents and knee tendinitis that contributed to a prolonged slump.

The victory ended his longest Grand Slam drought since winning his first major title at Roland Garros in 2005.

Seeded No. 2, Nadal won with dogged defense, chasing down shots all over the court. He swept seven consecutive games midway through the match and held every serve, saving all eight break points he faced.

Nadal improved to 38-1 at Roland Garros, with the only loss to Soderling in the fourth round a year ago.

"I played my best match against you," Nadal told the big-swinging Swede during the trophy ceremony. "If not, it's going to be impossible to beat you."

Nadal became the second man to win the French Open at least five times, and next year he'll have a chance to match Bjorn Borg's record of six titles.

"It's really impressive," Soderling told Nadal. "If you continue like this, you will sure have the chance to win many more."

With the victory, Nadal will also reclaim the No. 1 ranking Monday, supplanting Roger Federer.

Soderling, who has yet to win a major title, finished as the runner-up for the second year in a row. In 2009 he lost in the final to Federer.

"I love this tournament," he said. "I will come back next year, and I hope I'll be third time lucky then."

When Soderling's final shot landed in the net, Nadal slid onto his back, threw up his fists and rose, shaking from his hair the clay he loves. When he sat down, he began to cry.

"I faced in the final an extremely tough opponent," Nadal said. "We played at a high level. Now I'm very happy."