Former World No. 4 Robin Soderling, whose own career was cut short by glandular fever, has disclosed the secret to beating World No. 1 Rafael Nadal at the French Open.
Soderling reached back-to-back finals at the Clay Slam in Paris in 2009 and 2010, losing to Roger Federer and Nadal respectively. However, the Swede was the first man to defeat Rafa at Roland Garros when he knocked him out of the tournament in the fourth round in 2009. Rafa though avenged his loss the following year by dismantling him in straight sets to win his fifth title at Court Philippe Chatrier.
In a freewheeling chat with Tennismash, Soderling explained how he overcame the Majorcan’s challenge on that day and how the current crop of players can outclass the 16-time Major winner on the red dirt.
“You have to play really aggressive. I didn’t worry about him, I tried to be aggressive and made sure not to give him any time and put pressure on him all the time. If you stay on the baseline and play cautious it’s impossible to beat him. I had to take chances and go for my shots, and that day it worked really well, I was hitting the ball extremely well.”
When Soderling was asked to pick his biggest achievement, he responded: “Reaching the final the following year. Obviously beating Rafa and reaching the final in 2009 was special but I was really happy that I stayed top 10 and beat Roger to make the final again before losing to Rafa. Quite a few players can do well in one tournament but it’s a completely different story doing it throughout the years. I proved to myself that I really belong in the top five players in the world.”
On being questioned whether he believed he could have become a Major winner if he would have played for a few more years, Soderling answered: “Yes, many times [laughs]. Just a joke. The last three or four years of my career, even though I was not the favorite in the Grand Slams, I always felt that if I played well I had a chance to win. In the beginning of my career, I was just happy to win a couple of rounds. But yeah, maybe. Maybe I would’ve won one.”
