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TENNIS

Söderling sets sights on top 5 after Rotterdam win

Swedish tennis player Robin Söderling has set his sights on claiming a top five spot in the ATP world rankings after on Sunday becoming the first Swede in almost two decades to win the Rotterdam Open.

Published: 15 February 2010 08:05 CET
Söderling sets sights on top 5 after Rotterdam win

Söderling confirmed his return to form with a 6-4, 2-0 win over former champion Mikhail Youzhny on Sunday, after the Russian was forced to retire through injury.

Anders Järryd in 1993 was the nation’s last winner at the Ahoy arena. Söderling lost the 2008 final here to Frenchman Michael Llodra.

World no.8 Söderling broke a personal title dry spell dating back to last July in Båstad as he earned the victory in 54 minutes.

Youzhny was unable to carry on, ending his participation after losing serve in the second game of the second set after receiving treatment in the first set.

“It felt bad in the (Saturday) semi-finals, but today it was getting worse with each game,” said the Russian. “It feels a bit like a muscle problem but I’m not sure,” admitted the Russian.

“It was especially tough to start the running motion, taking the first few steps. There seem to be a lot of injuries already early in the season, it’s partly due to the tough calendar.”

Last year’s Roland Garros finalist Söderling hopes his Rotterdam win could be a springboard for his career, which made a breakthrough last spring when he faced Roger Federer for the French Open title.

“If I have a good year and stay healthy I could make it to the top five – if I don’t work hard I could be in the top 50.

“You have to work well and do everything right. The leading guys show that.”

“But I think there could be some new winners of the Grand Slams this season – and yes, I could be one of them.”

Söderling’s success this week capped his return to form after losing first-round matches in both of his previous 2010 events, Chennai and the Australian Open.

Söderling said that an enforced rest at home after going out in Melbourne finally put him right physically and mentally.

“I didn’t start so well in the first few matches, but along with my coach we worked and my game is back. I’m playing really well once more.

“But that’s all over – I feel perfect again.”

The 25-year-old improved to 5-2 on the season and moved his record against Youzhny to 3-1 with wins in their last three meetings.

Söderling and Youzhny had combined in the semi-finals to eliminate the tournament’s top two seeds, with the Swede eliminating number two Nikolay Davydenko and Youzhny claiming victory over world number two Novak

Djokovic.

Youzhny was playing his fifth final in his last eight events while Söderling found himself in a title match for the first time in 13 tournaments.

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ROGER FEDERER

Is this the end of the road for Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer?

Roger Federer is talking optimistically about returning to his "highest level" after knee surgery, but does tennis have to start adjusting to a future without the Swiss star?

Published: 11 June 2020 16:22 CEST
Is this the end of the road for Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer?
Is it the end of the line for Roger? Photo: Martin BUREAU / AFP

The 20-time Grand Slam winner announced on Wednesday that he would be sidelined until 2021 after his second operation in a matter of months.

Federer remains upbeat, tweeting: “I plan to take the necessary time to be 100 percent ready to play at my highest level.”

In some ways 2020 is a good season to miss after the coronavirus ravaged the tennis schedule. Writing Federer off in the past has proved dangerous.

He returned from a six-month injury lay-off to claim the Australian Open in 2017, winning his eighth Wimbledon crown later that year.

But he will be 40 in 2021 and is now heading into uncharted territory.

Despite his groaning trophy cabinet, there are two factors that will motivate Federer to keep going — the risk of losing his grip on the men's Grand Slam title record and a missing Olympics singles gold medal.

Rafael Nadal has 19 majors, just one shy of Federer's mark and Djokovic has 17.

Spain's Nadal will be fancied to draw level with Federer at the French Open, rescheduled for September, while few would bet against Djokovic winning in New York weeks earlier.

In April, Federer said he was “devastated” when Wimbledon was cancelled for the first time since World War II. Last year he fell agonisingly short at the All England Club, failing to convert two championship points on his own serve against Djokovic.

The Wimbledon grass probably remains his best chance of adding to his Grand Slam collection — he has not won the US Open since 2008 and his only title at Roland Garros came in 2009.

Even though Federer has slipped from the very pinnacle of the game, he is still a major threat to Nadal and Djokovic.

'Golden' ambitions

Last year, the world number four had a 53-10 win-loss record and he reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open in January in his only tournament this year.

Federer, who is still six ATP titles short of Jimmy Connors' all-time record of 109, has one glaring omission from his CV — the Olympic title.

The Swiss won doubles gold in Beijing in 2008 with compatriot Stan Wawrinka but lost in the singles final to Andy Murray in London four years later.

The postponed Tokyo Games will almost certainly be Federer's last opportunity to complete a career “golden” Grand Slam — he will turn 40 on the day of the closing ceremony next year.

Tennis will feel the loss of the elegant Federer keenly when he walks off the court for the last time.

Djokovic and Nadal have been the dominant forces in recent years but the Swiss remains the biggest draw and last month topped Forbes' list of the world's highest-earning athletes.

His last appearance on court was in front of nearly 52,000 fans — touted by organisers as a world record for tennis — at a charity match against Nadal in Cape Town in February.

Federer is nearly always the crowd favourite wherever he plays and has proved a perfect ambassador for the sport since he won his first Grand Slam title in 2003.

He certainly expects to be back and competitive next year.

“I will be missing my fans and the tour dearly but I will look forward to seeing everyone back on tour at the start of the 2021 season,” he tweeted.

The avalanche of support from his adoring fans showed they would miss him too, but they will have to get used to a time when he is gone for good.

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