#5) ATP-500 Rotterdam 2010



R1: SERRA, Florent 46 64 61
R2: SIJSLING, Igor 76(6) 62
QF: BENNETEAU, Julien 60 61
SF: DAVYDENKO, Nikolay 76(3) 64
F: YOUZHNY, Mikhail 64 20 Ret'd

Soda jeszcze raz o wielkim triumfie w 4r ostatniego RG.

Successful Soderling happy to "win ugly"

      Successful Soderling happy to "win ugly" Robing Soderling admits that his tennis career has turned around since his breakthrough win over Rafael Nadal at the French Open last spring.

      And the ATP No. 7 credits wise counsel from coach Magnus Norman with giving him a new way to think of his game.

      Soderling showed off his big game to defeating effect with a knockout of Andy Murray to reach the Indian Wells Masters semi-final.

      The Swede says that a change in his attitude is partly responsible for the success. "I've changed the way how I think a little bit. A few years ago I was very focused on playing well all the time. Now, what matters to me now is to win matches.

      "It doesn't matter if I play well and win matches or play bad and win matches. You still have to win."

      Soderling is happy to take the advice for former French Open finalist and one-time No. 2 Norman to heart. "Magnus taught me a lot.

      "Of course he played well sometimes, but many, many times he didn't play well at all. And he told me he won the tournament in Shanghai (2000), and he said, 'I played so bad.'

      "But that doesn't matter. It's not going to be there in the history books. What's gonna to be there is that he won the tournament."

      Soderling says he is now a believer: "He made me believe that I can still win matches, even though if I don't play my best tennis. I try to think like that every time I practise, every time I go to the court.

      "I've proved to myself that I can actually win," said the 2009 Roland Garros finalist to Roger Federer, bidding for his third title since competing in Paris.

Heart Of A Warrior

  Robin Soderling is known for his competitive drive and powerful game, but the journey to the top has revealed a new side of Sweden’s lone wolf.

You can tell by the way that Robin Soderling walks that he is a man who knows where he is going: great big strides, arms swinging with purpose and eyes focused dead ahead. And with 195 pounds packed solidly into a 6’4” frame, he is a big-boned Swede built like a lumberjack who crushes the ball like a bare-knuckle bruiser. Robin Soderling definitely plays hardball.

Born between the two great lakes of Sweden in the small town of Tibro, Robin Soderling grew up riding his bicycle to the tennis courts each day. It was here on those chilly bike rides to and from practice that he visualised his dream of becoming a great player.

“We have had a lot of special players in Sweden,” Soderling says. “It helped me to have so many good examples.”

While Soderling paid homage to past Swedish greats, he developed his own plans for greatness. Like a lone wolf he would do it his way, and with a determination as strong as Nordic steel. Fellow Swede and good friend, Johan Brunstrom believes that those early days gave Soderling the confidence for that he is so well known.

    “Robin is by far the most competitive person I have ever met in my life”

“In his age group back in Sweden there were three to four guys in the 12 & under and 13 & under that were fighting big time against each other every time they played,” Brunstrom recalls. “Robin came out on top of these battles most of the time. I think that created a big confidence from an early stage which helped a lot along the way throughout juniors and on to the pro tour.”

Guiding Robin Soderling through the juniors and into the Top 50 of the South African Airways ATP Rankings was Peter Carlsson, coach of Team Catella.

“Robin lives for his tennis tournaments,” says Carlsson. “He is really committed to being the best. Robin is the kind of guy who will do everything to win a match.”

Robin Soderling’s career could not have gotten off to a better start. At his first event as a professional, an ITF Futures in Sweden, Soderling was the last man standing. He followed that win up with a runner-up finish the very next week.

Soderling“That first tournament win just made him more hungry to win the next week,” recalls Carlsson.

Kalle Flygt played the young Soderling both weeks. “You could see that he had a very big game even at that age,” says Flygt. “His movement then was not strong, but he sure had plenty of other weapons. And he hated to lose.”

Ask anyone who has ever known him and they all say the same thing: Robin Soderling absolutely hates to lose. For he is a natural born warrior, a Viking in the truest sense of the word.

“Robin is by far the most competitive person I have ever met in my life,” says good friend and Davis Cup teammate, Robert Lindstedt. “His desire to win is just incredible.”

Joachim ‘Pim-Pim’ Johansson was with Soderling for many of the early years on Team Catella. Both wanted to be number one on the team and they pushed each other daily. According to Carlsson, “the competition was fierce. And not always healthy”.

“He was very competitive and took his own way,” remembers Johannson. “Robin does not fear anyone. This is a strength that he has had all his life. Even when he was 10 and 12 years old, he always had the feeling that he could be number one.”

There is one word that best describes Robin Soderling’s style of tennis: brutal. Smash mouth tennis at its best. His balls are propelled by a deliberate velocity that explodes off his strings like hellfire missiles. While his serve may not have the easy grace of Richard Krajicek’s or the bullwhip snap of Goran Ivanisevic, it is a bio-mechanically efficient service technique that rocks the court like a thunderbolt. Off the ground, Robin packs heavy artillery. The backhand, solid and dependable, is a clean double-handed forearm press that he can take on the rise while changing direction with a split second snap of the hips. And more than a few players have joked that he could be arrested for carrying a weapon (forehand) onto the court.

    “There is one word that best describes Robin Soderling’s style of tennis: brutal”

No doubt Soderling’s game is high risk. And when that forehand is on target, it is good night, Irene. But it is a game that demands precision, or possibly perfection. That is another trait that people attribute to Robin Soderling: perfection. Nobody knows that better than Nate Ferguson, of P1Tennis, who has customised Soderling’s racquets since 2004.

“Robin is definitely a perfectionist,” Ferguson states. “And I respect him for that. When I met him he was doing a lot of tinkering with his grip, wrapping layer after layer of trainers’ tape around the end. I called it the butt cap flare. We talked about it, and the balance of the racquet a lot and Thomas Enqvist joked that trying to please Robin with his racquet was mission impossible. After a lot of going back and forth, we eventually created a special molded grip of hard foam that never changes its dimensions. And a balance that worked. Robin was happy.”

Yet for all his power and attempts at perfection, something was lacking in Soderling’s repertoire. For years he seemed to be stuck in a rut, trapped between 40 and 70 in the rankings. In fairness to Soderling, he did have some serious injuries that required intensive rehab and long periods away from competition. Former ATP World No. 2 Magnus Norman had a good idea what Soderling needed and when he got the call, he answered it like the former champ he is.

Soderling“In the past he was throwing away matches that he should have won. He was affected by the wind, spectators, by things that he could not control,” says Norman. “What I was trying to do when I took over was to change his mentality, make it a strength. But in the beginning we had a rough time together. We were talking a lot, spending a lot of time together. I am sure he was sick of hearing my voice. Then the week before the French Open, he came to me and said, ‘Now I understand. I really understand what you mean.’

“Robin is very eager to learn new things,” continues Norman. “And he is an analyst. Sometimes he comes back to me and says, ‘I don’t really agree with you. Tell me why you think that?’ Then we discuss it more and more until we both agree on a plan.”

Former World No. 1 Mats Wilander says, “He's quite confident in his own ability and I think that's why he made it to the top of the game. I think he should have been there earlier... Robin is very strong mentally and it took someone who had been there and achieved more than him. Magnus knows what he’s talking about, saying the right thing and coming from the right person.”

Soderling must have learned something from Norman, for he was about to send shockwaves through the tennis world.

    “He's quite confident in his own ability and I think that's why he made it to the top of the game”

It is a few hours before the clash of two titans, Rafael Nadal and Robin Soderling in the Round of 16 match at Roland Garros. Soderling has just finished warming up and is ready to go, but  Norman stops him from leaving the court and suggests one more drill. Soderling agrees and one by one, Norman feeds his charge what he loves to eat: inside out forehands.

Like a Gothic beast, Soderling’s black eyes flash with fury as he covers the advantage side of the court with alarming speed and agility for such a large man. Setting his big feet in a semi-open stance, he launches ballistic forehands across the net that explode like bomblets when hitting the court with plumes of red clay spewing up in the air. It is a stroke that looks more like a roundhouse right knock out punch than a part of a game played by gentlemen. Norman is satisfied that Robin is now ready to enter the arena that has been the undisputed throne of the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal.

Thirty-one times in thirty-one contests, the Spaniard has emerged victorious from Roland Garros. There is nothing in the air on this day that would suggest any other outcome. It would go down as a battle of man versus man, a war in the trenches between two heavy hitters. For four punishing sets, they traded blows. In the end it was the challenger, Soderling, who would eventually lift his arms in triumph while the mighty warrior Nadal was hurled to Valhalla.

Soderling“Sweden was so hungry for his success,” says Carlsson. “And Robin delivered.”

Brunstrom agrees. “I think the past one and half years he has improved mentally a lot on the court and has learned to accept that everything can’t be perfect all the time,” he says. “He has really showed that he can dig deep and come out on top in a way he didn’t do before.”

Understanding Robin Soderling the person is not as easy as understanding Robin Soderling the player. As a player there is no doubt that Soderling likes to bang – getting on top of the ball early, driving it down into the court like a hammer and nail – by doing so gaining the advantage of leverage. For his opponents, it is literally fighting an uphill battle.

But how do you figure out a man who once said to the press that he did not join the ATP World Tour to make friends? For starters, according to those who know him best, you have to be patient. Listen to what they have to say about the man ranked No. 7 in the world.

“I practised with him a lot over the years,” says Jarkko Nieminen. “When you know him better, he is more open. I think he has always been extremely talented. And he knew it himself. His own expectations were very high and that was a lot of pressure. He has been on the tour a few years, and maybe now he is more experienced he can handle the pressure. And he is putting all the little pieces together.”

“He does not come to people easily,” says Carlsson. “You have to get to know him. Once you do you can see he is a great guy. We had a really good relationship.”

“Robin is one of my best friends on the tour,” claims Robert Lindstedt. “He is really a nice guy.”

    “You have to get to know him. Once you do you can see he is a great guy”

“Robin has a very strong personality,” states Norman.” You have to develop a feeling when to approach him. But he is more open now than in the past. Expectations have changed a lot. Very interesting to see how he handles the pressure.”

Fernando Verdasco and Robin Soderling are holding their trophies while standing on a raised platform on center court in Barcelona at the end of the ATP World Tour 500 tournament. The finalist Soderling has the microphone in his hand and he begins by thanking the crowd for their enthusiasm and the sponsors for their support. Though they are neck and neck in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings, Soderling praises Verdasco.

“Congratulations, Fernando,” Soderling says. “You played great. And today you deserved to win.”

We have learned that Robin Soderling is a fiery competitor who hates to lose, but just as important we are seeing that Soderling respects how great the level is at the top of the ATP World Tour. In doing so, he exudes even more confidence, for he is man enough to admit it even though he has just gone down in three tough sets to Verdasco.

“He's ready to win a big tournament,” asserts Wilander, a winner of seven Grand Slam titles. “I think he believes he could win a big tournament and I think he's ready to win. He's matured a lot.”

It may have taken Soderling longer than he expected, but there is no doubt that he has finally arrived. And, since Roland Garros last year, he is sitting where he is most comfortable: in the driver’s seat, with one big foot on the gas pedal going full speed ahead.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/DEUCE- … rling.aspx

RG 2010 - wywiad z Sodą po zwycięstwie w 2 rundzie

Q. You got off to a very good start and never really seemed to be challenged at any point. Were you surprised at how quick and seemingly easy it was?
ROBIN SODERLING: Yeah. Of course, I mean, second round of the Grand Slam, you're not expecting to win that fast. But as you said, I played well and I got off to a great start. Broke him first game and I served pretty well in the first set, so, yeah, it was a good day for me.

Q. What can you say about the condition? Was it really different from the other day? It's much slower?
ROBIN SODERLING: Yeah, it was different. It was much colder and a little bit windy. So it was different. It was not the easiest day to play on, but I think I handled it pretty well.

Q. Is it difficult when you're that dominant to keep your focus?
ROBIN SODERLING: No, not really. You know, I played so many matches so I know that everything can happen. Of course, you have to keep telling yourself that you have to stay focused because otherwise it can change pretty the match can turn pretty quick.
But I think, you know, I did it all the way today. I was still very focused even to the end, and the last game when he played a little bit better, I was still I kept my focus good.

Q. You've had two short matches, pretty easy wins. Do you have a sense of how you're playing or how things might go further ahead in the tournament, or has it been hard to judge where your game is at?
ROBIN SODERLING: Well, I don't think like that. You know, I'm happy with the two wins. As I said before, it doesn't matter how I play. What matters is that I won two matches and I'm in the third round. And I will always get a new chance to play better and better for every match.
Of course, I'm feeling good. I won two matches pretty easy in straight sets, and I didn't have to run for many hours on court so far, so I feel fresh and prepared for next round.

Q. Do you remember playing a three set match lasting one hour and 11 minutes?
ROBIN SODERLING: No, I don't remember. Maybe I did, but I don't remember.

Q. I know that we are at Roland Garros. Everyone is talking about your last year and so on, but I'm Italian. I need your thoughts on Davis Cup, even if it's very far away. I'm sorry. What do you expect, I mean, that could be part of the team then? I mean, because you are the only Swede here in the men's draw. There were times when there were five or six in the top 10. Do you see any change in the future, and why the situation is so bad, I mean, in Sweden that there is only one player, men, and there are two women, if I remember well. First time there are more women than men.
ROBIN SODERLING: Yeah, but I think it's pretty good for a country with only 9 million people to have a top 10 guy and two women in the main draw.
Of course it's bad if you compare to 20 years ago, but what Sweden had back then I don't think any country will have again, not even the biggest countries like France, like U.S., or Spain. So it's been very good.
I know I kind of feel we're coming back a little bit. We have a couple good juniors. Of course, it will take a while, but I think and I really hope in a few years' time we will have at least a few more players on tour again.

Q. So there is only Pim Pim Johansson who can play with you? And who else could play September?
ROBIN SODERLING: No, well, Vinciguerra played a couple matches, and he's a great player when he's healthy; same with Pim Pim. Of course we don't have that many players, but I think when we're all playing well and we're all healthy, we have a good team.

Q. You going to win?
ROBIN SODERLING: Well, we at least will try.

http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/news/ … 06860.html

1.06.2010 - po 366 dniach Robin Soderling po raz drugi raz w karierze pokonuje nr 1 światowych list.  W 1/4 RG okazuje się lepszy od Rogera Federera. Rok temu w 4r tego samego turnieju pokonał Rafaela Nadala (ówczesny nr 1 i również obrońcę tytułu w Paryżu)

Well done Robin

Ostatnio edytowany przez Kubecki (01-06-2010 20:29:56)

Kubecki napisał:

1.06.2010 - po 366 dniach Robin Soderling po raz drugi raz w karierze pokonuje nr 1 światowych list.  W 1/4 RG okazuje się lepszy od Rogera Federera. Rok temu w 4r tego samego turnieju pokonał Rafaela Nadala (ówczesny nr 1 i również obrońcę tytułu w Paryżu)

Well done Robin

Facet zapisuje się w historii. W ciągu 12 miesięcy przerwał znakomite serie dwóch tytanów obecnej ery tenisowej.

Borg: Soderling będzie numerem 1 szybciej niż się tego spodziewamy.

STOCKHOLM (AP)—Sweden’s Bjorn Borg says compatriot Robin Soderling is within reach of the world No. 1 title after ending Roger Federer’s record streak of 23 consecutive major semifinals in the French Open.

Borg describes Soderling’s Tuesday game as “perfect” and says he will “become World No. 1 faster than we can expect” in an interview with the Expressen tabloid.

Soderling’s 3-1 set win against the Swiss champion topped all main sports pages in Sweden on Wednesday, which described it as “epic and historic.”

Borg holds a record six French Open titles from 1974-81. No Swede has brought home the title since 1988, when Mats Wilander won.

Robertinho napisał:

Zaraz, czy to nie ten pan który zakończył karierę w wieku 26 i to samo doradzał Fedowi po Wimblu 2008?

Tak ten sam. Również ten sam, co przed 1/2 USO 08 wskazał Rokera na Mistrza.

DUN I LOVE napisał:

Borg: Soderling będzie numerem 1 szybciej niż się tego spodziewamy.

STOCKHOLM (AP)—Sweden’s Bjorn Borg says compatriot Robin Soderling is within reach of the world No. 1 title after ending Roger Federer’s record streak of 23 consecutive major semifinals in the French Open.

Borg describes Soderling’s Tuesday game as “perfect” and says he will “become World No. 1 faster than we can expect” in an interview with the Expressen tabloid.

Soderling’s 3-1 set win against the Swiss champion topped all main sports pages in Sweden on Wednesday, which described it as “epic and historic.”

Borg holds a record six French Open titles from 1974-81. No Swede has brought home the title since 1988, when Mats Wilander won.

Wywiad po awansie do finału RG2010

Q. Is the type of match the old Robin should have lost, I think.
ROBIN SODERLING: What's the old Robin? What's the new Robin? I never understand. Of course I could have lost that match. It was very close. But today I won it, so I'm happy with that.

Q. How much better do you feel equipped to handle a Grand Slam final now having played this one here last year?
ROBIN SODERLING: We'll see on Sunday, but of course it feels better. You know, it's always it's always the most difficult one playing your first. In any tournament, first match is the most difficult one.
Of course it was tough for me last year playing my first Grand Slam final. Hopefully it will be a little bit easier this time.
Q. With Berdych, you have maybe a little too similar games. There was not much rally in the game. There was like fast points won, fast mistakes. Did you expect that kind of game? Was it the same when you played him previously in Miami or elsewhere?
ROBIN SODERLING: Yeah, he's tough to play. Today was really tough to really play my own game, because he didn't give me any time at all. The conditions were much quicker, and he was hitting the ball really hard and really flat.
So, again, yeah, it was tough to play today.

Q. Did you think that the quality of the match versus Nadal, you expect a similar match as the to last year's with Nadal, with more rally or more quality in the game than today's game?
ROBIN SODERLING: I mean, every match is different. Normally against Nadal the times I've played him before we had more rallies than if you compare to today.
As I said, every match is different. You never know what, how he's gonna play or if I play him. I mean, he's still playing against Melzer. So, I mean, conditions are changing a lot there, so we have to see on Sunday, I think.
Q. Since you played Rafa here last year, he's mentioned a few times or more it was implied that the knees were a problem or other things were bothering him. Has that bothered you that maybe that was some sort of excuse for his performance that day?
ROBIN SODERLING: No, I never thought about it. Well, I think he's definitely not the only player who has some problem with his body. I think we all have that from time to time. So I never really thought about it.
You know, I was very happy with the win and my run here last year. I still am. It doesn't matter who I played or who I beat or if he was injured or not.
Q. Two or three years ago if somebody had asked you what Grand Slam you think you'd do the best at, would you have said Roland Garros?
ROBIN SODERLING: Yeah, maybe. I think I can do well on any surface. There's no surface I don't like to play on, which is a good feeling, is very nice.
I think I play better and better on clay for every year. So I don't really have any favorite surface.

Q. Were you a little surprised and perhaps disappointed when you walked out to play at 1:00 and there were only about 2 or 300 people in the stadium?
ROBIN SODERLING: No. I didn't even notice.

Q. You didn't notice?
ROBIN SODERLING: No. Well, I was really focused on my match. No, it doesn't really matter. But I think at the end it was pretty full, eh?

Q. It was.
ROBIN SODERLING: Yeah.

Q. What was on your mind when you were down two sets to one?
ROBIN SODERLING: Well, yeah, it was not easy. I know, he was playing really well, and I really felt that I had some chances in the third set, you know. I had a few break points.
But he came up with some really good serves on the important moments. So it was tough, you know. I had a really tough time trying to handle his serve.
But, you know, it was still two sets to one, and I was telling myself I can still win this. But of course it's tough to be down like that.

Q. (Through French translation) good afternoon, Robin. You defeated Nadal when you played him. He hasn't yet finished. Do you think that you have a psychological edge if you are to play against him in the final?
ROBIN SODERLING: Well, we played many times. He beat me a lot of times, and I beat him a few times. So it was not the last match. You know, we played one or two times after that.
But of course it's always good to have beaten a player before. I know that I can beat him. I showed it.
But, again, you know, every match is a new match, and every match is different.

Q. Just going back to last year's experience again, what would you hope to do a little better? Perhaps start better in the final than you did last year? The nerves, you got used to the nerves now, what it's gonna be like now in the locker room beforehand.
ROBIN SODERLING: Yeah, of course, I didn't get off to a great start last year, which was really tough for me.
But, you know, it's gonna be a long match. It's best of five sets. You can always work your way into any matches in a Grand Slam.
Yeah, it's not gonna be easy whoever I play, but I feel pretty confident. I'm playing really good tennis right now, and I will enjoy it for sure.

Q. Obviously Magnus made it to the final here and didn't win. Would there be any extra sort of pleasure for you to win the final because he got that far and didn't quite make it all the way?
ROBIN SODERLING: Oh, well, of course I think the final is the one match you really want to win most of all, but not maybe because he lost in the final.
I think he'd be glad for me, and I would be very glad if I win on Sunday. It has nothing to do with that.

Q. You managed to win today with 63 unforced errors, so what does it mean? You had to take all the risks?
ROBIN SODERLING: Well, I said before, you know, you cannot there's someone sitting and writing down the unforced errors, and I think it's tough for anyone to say what's an unforced error and what's not.
So I don't really look at the statistics like that, you know. He put me under a lot of pressure, and it was tough today. You know, as I said, I couldn't really play my own game because he didn't give me any time.
That's why maybe I missed a little bit more than I wanted to.

Q. It's tough for any player to play their first Grand Slam final; hard to imagine what goes through your head when you get on a court in the final Sunday when you get on that big stage. Now that you've done it before, what really can you learn from that? And will it help you?
ROBIN SODERLING: Yeah, hopefully I won't be as nervous as I was last year, you know, playing that match. And not only the finals here last year, I think I played many big matches the last year against good players on big courts.
I learn from every one of those matches, and hopefully I will feel fine. And, you know, if I win it's great; but if I lose, you know, I will try my best, and hopefully it will be enough.

Q. Is that condition tougher for you than your last match against Federer? Definitely much warmer.
ROBIN SODERLING: Of course it's tougher when it's warmer, especially physically. But I think I can do well in any conditions.
But against Tomas, it was tough today because he was really fast and I wasn't really used to it. He hit the ball so hard and so flat, and then didn't give me any time at all. Today it was difficult.

Q. Sunday is much cooler than now.
ROBIN SODERLING: Yeah, we'll see. I think I can do well in any conditions. I don't really think about it that much.

http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/news/ … 82913.html