24 November,2009 07:50 AM IST | | AFP
Rafael Nadal was beaten in straight sets by Robin Soderling in his opening match at the ATP World Tour Finals yesterday.
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Soderling saw off Nadal 6-4, 6-4 at London's O2 Arena in their Group B match at the season-ending tournament of the world's top eight players.
Four-time French Open defending champion Nadal had had his 31-match winning streak there broken in May by Soderling, who in becoming the only man ever to beat Nadal at Roland Garros, went on to reach the final.
And the Swede repeated the upset with a tidy performance at the former Millennium Dome, at times giving the Australian Open champion the run-around on the medium-paced court.
"I was very nervous at the start but I got off to a great start," Soderling said.
"I managed to play really well on the important points and I really served well when I needed to," Soderling added.
Nadal, meanwhile, said he did not go into the clash looking to get Soderling back for the French Open defeat.
"I don't believe in revenge," the 23-year-old said.
