An overview of Robin Soderling’s journey towards glory – part I
World number five Robin Soderling during the initial period of his career was famous as an underachiever, a player who didn’t utilize his real potential on the tour. The Swede was credited for successfully making his way into the final of the United States
Open Junior competition back in 2002 and then after turning professional back in 2003, straight away appearing in the third round of Wimbledon after winning the qualifying rounds and a title battle run in Stockholm.
However, some back-to-back injuries combined with poor results saw his slip out of the top hundred in the ATP ranking list.
Bettor.com takes a look at some of the important moments and matches that helped Soderling reach the pinnacle of fame in the world of tennis.
1. Third round meeting with Rafael Nadal in Wimbledon 2007
The Swede met the current world number one Rafael Nadal on the very first occasion in a Grand Slam tournament back in 2007 at the All England Club in the third round. The match was extended to a total of five sets and was played over a couple of days as
a result of rain. In spite of the fact that the Spaniard tennis ace, Rafael Nadal won the clash in the end however it was Soderling who grabbed every one’s attention. During the start of the decisive set, Rafa was about to serve when the fifth ranked Soderling
went to his chair all of a sudden in order to change his racket.
When Robin came back on the court, the 24-year-old Rafa looked frustrated in response to which Soderling mocked Rafa by pulling at his shorts like the Spaniard is popular of doing on the court. This grabbed every one’s attention and the incident was covered
heavily by the media all around the world.
2. Only player to get past Rafael Nadal in Roland Garros
Soderling last year was seeded number twenty three to win the title in French Open. He successfully reached the fourth round in Roland Garros on the very first occasion in his career.
In the fourth round, the Swede faced the four-time French Open winner Rafael Nadal who just a month ago at the Rome Masters outlasted Soderling 6-1 6-0. Therefore, all the experts and sports analysts predicted the match to be a straight set victory for the
Spaniard. However, contrary to everyone’s expectations, the Swedish tennis ace, Robin Soderling posted the biggest win of his career by upsetting Nadal in four sets. The final match score was 6–2, 6–7(2), 6–4, 7–6(2). Soderling went on to make his way into
the title battle where he was given a treatment by the Swiss tennis master, Roger Federer.
3. Soderling defeated Roger Federer in the French Open
As a result of this victory, Soderling registered his name as the second player on the history of the men’s tennis to defeat both Rafael and Roger at a major event. Moreover, he also set history as the only contender to topple both Nadal and Federer while
they were the defending winners and top ranked players in the world and thus came to the limelight.
4. Being a fifth seed Swede
All of a sudden the only statistic that is consistently being recalled by many experts and analysts is that Soderling is the only Swedish tennis contender ranked inside the top three hundred. Plus that he is "highly dangerous on his day" and that "clay is
now his darling court".
However, what clearly goes unnoticed is the fact that Soderling is a two time major runner up, a fact that everyone remembers about the Brit number one Andy Murray.
Therefore, it is high time for Robin to make everyone remember him for a different reason. In order to achieve this goal, the Swede has to win a grand Slam title in the near future without any question.
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