Roger Federer kisses the trophy after defeating Robin Soderling during their men's singles final match of the French Open at Roland Garros stadium in Paris on Sunday. (Bernat Armangue/Associated Press)

Roger Federer has made tennis history.

The Swiss star beat Robin Soderling in straight sets to win his first French Open on Sunday, becoming only the sixth man to win all four major events, and tying Pete Sampras's record for the most Grand Slam titles ever.

Federer beat Soderling, the No. 23-seed, 6-1, 7-6 (1), 6-4, before a roaring crowd. An emotional Federer fell to his knees when he won the match and shed tears as the anthem played after he was presented with the championship trophy.

"It's maybe my greatest victory, or certainly the one that removes the most pressure off my shoulders," Federer said. "I think that now and until the end of my career, I can really play with my mind at peace, and no longer hear that I've never won Roland Garros."

He joins Sampras in the record books with 14 career Grand Slam titles.

'Am I the greatest of all time?'

"Now the question is: Am I the greatest of all time?" Federer said. "We don't know, but I definitely have many things going for me because I've finally won all four Grand Slams, and I'm particularly happy reaching Pete's 14."

Federer returns a ball to Soderling in the final. (Patrick Kovarik/AFP/Getty Images)

Sweden's Soderling enjoyed a surprising run at Roland Garros en route to the first Grand Slam final of his career. The 24-year-old handed No. 1 seed and four-time defending champion Rafael Nadal his first career loss at the French Open in the fourth round.

It was Nadal who beat Federer the last three years in the French final.

Soderling's run came to a halt on Sunday, though not without a fight.

Federer dominated the first set, breaking Soderling's serve three times, but the Swede rallied back in the second to force a tiebreak. Federer served four aces and gave up only one point in the tiebreaker to take the set.

Federer broke again to start the third set and retained that lead the rest of the match. He never lost serve, and despite cool, windy weather and occasional rain, he had more winners than unforced errors — 41 to 24.

Agassi presents championship trophy

Soderling did manage to keep it close in the third set, forcing a break point on Federer's serve when he led 5-4, but Federer rallied back to take the match.

A grinning Federer was presented with the championship cup by American Andre Agassi, the last man to complete a career Grand Slam.

Agassi did it in Paris 10 years ago, joining Roy Emerson, Rod Laver, Don Budge and Fred Perry as the only players to win all four titles. The esteemed list now includes Federer.

"I'm so happy for you, man," Agassi said.

"You're the last man to win all four Grand Slams," Federer said. "Now I can relate to what it really feels like.… It's a magical moment."

2nd set interruption

The match was interrupted early in the second set when a man with a red Barcelona soccer team flag ran on the court and tried to put a red hat on Federer's head.

Federer pushed him aside, and soon after, security guards caught and removed the man from the court.

Security guards checked to make sure Federer was OK and Soderling queried with a thumbs-up to double-check before continuing with his serve.

Nadal remains the only man to beat Federer in a Grand Slam final, a feat he's accomplished five times. The Spaniard was the only man keeping Federer from completing the Grand Slam career sweep.

Going for No. 15 at Wimbledon

Soderling is now 0-10 lifetime against Federer and has won only one set against him.

"Roger, really, congrats to you," Soderling said. "You really gave me a lesson in how to play tennis today. And to me you're the greatest player in history, so you really deserved to win this title."

Federer is two months shy of his 28th birthday. At that age, Sampras had won 11 titles.

In two weeks, Federer will go for his 15th title at Wimbledon, where he's won five times.

The French Open was Federer's 19th appearance in a Grand Slam final, all in the last six years.

He won his fifth-straight U.S. Open nine months ago with a victory over Scotland's Andy Murray in the final.

With files from The Associated Press