Uprising
June 1st, 2009, 12:40 AM
PARIS -- Robin Soderling knew he had to keep Rafael Nadal on the run if he was to have any chance of unseating the four-time French Open champion on Sunday.
What's seems incredible, though, is that it actually worked.
Nadal falls short of a record fifth consecutive French title. (US Presswire)
The big-serving, hard-hitting Swede pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Grand Slam tennis, ending Nadal's perfect record at Roland Garros with a 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 7-6 (2) win.
"I didn't want him to make me run. I tried to be the one that made him run," said Soderling, who had 30 forehand winners during the match on center court. "I worked good with my forehand, and my backhand worked well, as well. I worked my backhand flat and tried to go around and hit my forehand."
Nadal had never lost at Roland Garros, heading into the match with a 31-0 record and four titles to his name. But while Nadal is known for getting to just about every ball hit to his side of the court -- just ask Roger Federer about that -- Soderling was able to keep the top-ranked Spaniard on the move throughout the match.
"I think I played exactly the way I wanted to play before the match," Soderling said. "I served well, extremely well, and that really, really helped me today."
• French Open: Day 8 | The plan: Make Rafa run | Brackets: Men | Women
After losing the second-set tiebreaker and winning the third set, Soderling was broken early in the fourth. That's usually the point when most players crack, realizing they have no chance against the best clay-court player of his generation.
Not Soderling.
"During the whole match, I kept telling myself: 'This is just another match,"' the 24-year-old Soderling said. "I don't care if it's the fourth round in [the] French against Nadal. This is just like any match. That helped me."
Mats Wilander, Sweden's Davis Cup captain and a three-time French Open champion, liked what he saw of Soderling on Sunday.
"It's really nice to see some guy stand up to Nadal mentally," Wilander said. "And be in Rafa's face a little more than other guys are doing."
Although Nadal won't get the chance to break his and Bjorn Borg's record of four straight French Open titles this year, he seemed to take the loss well.
"I didn't play my tennis, and for that reason I lose. That's it," said Nadal, who last year kept Federer from eclipsing Borg's record of five straight titles at Wimbledon. "I congratulate him and keep working hard for the next tournament."
Soderling is also expecting congratulations from someone else -- someone by the name of Borg.
"I'm expecting an SMS [text]," Soderling said. "I'm not going to call him. Hopefully he will call me. That would be great."
On the women's side, Ana Ivanovic was eliminated in the fourth round, losing to ninth-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-2, 6-3.
"I started really well, and I felt really good in the beginning," said the eighth-seeded Ivanovic, who won her only Grand Slam title at last year's French Open. "In the fourth game, I just suddenly started feeling so dizzy, and I completely lost my balance.
"Ever since then it was really hard. I struggled with looking up. I started feeling very dizzy, and I was struggling a little bit to find my balance."
It soon got even worse for the former No. 1-ranked player. She called for a trainer to look at her neck before the final game of the first set, but it still was unclear what the problem was. Azarenka then held in the next game to win the set, and broke Ivanovic's serve in the first and third games of the second to take a 4-0 lead.
"It's never easy to lose, and especially [because] I was feeling my game really well," Ivanovic said. "So I'm very disappointed with today."
It didn't help Ivanovic that she came up against a player that was having a great day, making only seven unforced errors to the Serb's 20.
"I was very consistent today and very aggressive," said the 19-year-old Azarenka, who lost in the fourth round at Roland Garros last year. "I didn't let her play her game, which she normally does. I was just being too aggressive."
When she came one point away from eliminating last year's champion -- and reaching her first career major quarterfinal -- Azarenka managed to stay calm.
"I was playing point-by-point," Azarenka said. "I didn't look at it as it was a match point. I just looked at it as it was another point that I had to win."
Ivanovic also struggled in her opening match, being stretched to a tiebreaker by Sara Errani of Italy. But she easily moved through the next two rounds, losing only five games in those two matches.
"I wasn't really looking for any outcome or looking too much into the tournament. I just wanted to enjoy," Ivanovic said. "I was really proud of my efforts the first week. I was really feeling good out there.
"Even today and in the beginning I felt great. I was hitting, striking the ball, and executing really well. That's why it's really hard."
It's also hard getting old, if you believe the 21-year-old Ivanovic, who is only two years older than Azarenka.
"She's young, so she has really good potential," Ivanovic said of Azarenka before being reminded she isn't exactly over the hill herself. "I feel a little bit older now. With all these young players coming up, I start to feel a little bit old."
Copyright 2009 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
What's seems incredible, though, is that it actually worked.
Nadal falls short of a record fifth consecutive French title. (US Presswire)
The big-serving, hard-hitting Swede pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Grand Slam tennis, ending Nadal's perfect record at Roland Garros with a 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 7-6 (2) win.
"I didn't want him to make me run. I tried to be the one that made him run," said Soderling, who had 30 forehand winners during the match on center court. "I worked good with my forehand, and my backhand worked well, as well. I worked my backhand flat and tried to go around and hit my forehand."
Nadal had never lost at Roland Garros, heading into the match with a 31-0 record and four titles to his name. But while Nadal is known for getting to just about every ball hit to his side of the court -- just ask Roger Federer about that -- Soderling was able to keep the top-ranked Spaniard on the move throughout the match.
"I think I played exactly the way I wanted to play before the match," Soderling said. "I served well, extremely well, and that really, really helped me today."
• French Open: Day 8 | The plan: Make Rafa run | Brackets: Men | Women
After losing the second-set tiebreaker and winning the third set, Soderling was broken early in the fourth. That's usually the point when most players crack, realizing they have no chance against the best clay-court player of his generation.
Not Soderling.
"During the whole match, I kept telling myself: 'This is just another match,"' the 24-year-old Soderling said. "I don't care if it's the fourth round in [the] French against Nadal. This is just like any match. That helped me."
Mats Wilander, Sweden's Davis Cup captain and a three-time French Open champion, liked what he saw of Soderling on Sunday.
"It's really nice to see some guy stand up to Nadal mentally," Wilander said. "And be in Rafa's face a little more than other guys are doing."
Although Nadal won't get the chance to break his and Bjorn Borg's record of four straight French Open titles this year, he seemed to take the loss well.
"I didn't play my tennis, and for that reason I lose. That's it," said Nadal, who last year kept Federer from eclipsing Borg's record of five straight titles at Wimbledon. "I congratulate him and keep working hard for the next tournament."
Soderling is also expecting congratulations from someone else -- someone by the name of Borg.
"I'm expecting an SMS [text]," Soderling said. "I'm not going to call him. Hopefully he will call me. That would be great."
On the women's side, Ana Ivanovic was eliminated in the fourth round, losing to ninth-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-2, 6-3.
"I started really well, and I felt really good in the beginning," said the eighth-seeded Ivanovic, who won her only Grand Slam title at last year's French Open. "In the fourth game, I just suddenly started feeling so dizzy, and I completely lost my balance.
"Ever since then it was really hard. I struggled with looking up. I started feeling very dizzy, and I was struggling a little bit to find my balance."
It soon got even worse for the former No. 1-ranked player. She called for a trainer to look at her neck before the final game of the first set, but it still was unclear what the problem was. Azarenka then held in the next game to win the set, and broke Ivanovic's serve in the first and third games of the second to take a 4-0 lead.
"It's never easy to lose, and especially [because] I was feeling my game really well," Ivanovic said. "So I'm very disappointed with today."
It didn't help Ivanovic that she came up against a player that was having a great day, making only seven unforced errors to the Serb's 20.
"I was very consistent today and very aggressive," said the 19-year-old Azarenka, who lost in the fourth round at Roland Garros last year. "I didn't let her play her game, which she normally does. I was just being too aggressive."
When she came one point away from eliminating last year's champion -- and reaching her first career major quarterfinal -- Azarenka managed to stay calm.
"I was playing point-by-point," Azarenka said. "I didn't look at it as it was a match point. I just looked at it as it was another point that I had to win."
Ivanovic also struggled in her opening match, being stretched to a tiebreaker by Sara Errani of Italy. But she easily moved through the next two rounds, losing only five games in those two matches.
"I wasn't really looking for any outcome or looking too much into the tournament. I just wanted to enjoy," Ivanovic said. "I was really proud of my efforts the first week. I was really feeling good out there.
"Even today and in the beginning I felt great. I was hitting, striking the ball, and executing really well. That's why it's really hard."
It's also hard getting old, if you believe the 21-year-old Ivanovic, who is only two years older than Azarenka.
"She's young, so she has really good potential," Ivanovic said of Azarenka before being reminded she isn't exactly over the hill herself. "I feel a little bit older now. With all these young players coming up, I start to feel a little bit old."
Copyright 2009 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.