SHARE
COPY LINK

TENNIS

Söderling survives to set up Nadal clash

Swedish sixth seed Robin Söderling overcame ninth seed David Ferrer in an epic five sets battle on Monday to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals.

Söderling survives to set up Nadal clash
Photo: Mark Baker/AP/Scanpix (file)

Söderling triumphed 6-2, 5-7, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 against the classy Spaniard to set up a last eight clash with old foe, world number one Rafael Nadal.

The 25-year-old could be forgiven for wanting to have avoided another meeting with Nadal just weeks after the Spaniard defeated him in the French Open final.

The Spanish second seed booked his place in the quarters with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2, win over France’s Paul-Henri Mathieu on Monday, easing concerns over his fitness.

Nadal, who won that Roland Garros showdown to clinch his fifth French crown, has been bothered by a knee injury since arriving at the All England Club last week and he has needed pain killers and physiotherapy to keep the problem at bay.

Nadal fights a constant battle with his knees after tendinitis forced him to miss Wimbledon last year, but he has vowed to play through the pain barrier in his clash with Söderling who has been in fine form at the grass-court Grand Slam after winning his first three matches without dropping a set.

Faced with an formidable opponent like Ferrer, the Swede could call on his accurate serve and over-powering ground-strokes to win the key points as he reached the last eight here for the first time.

Nadal and Söderling have plenty of history on the tour and the tie promises to be an explosive encounter.

Söderling once irritated Nadal by mimicking his habit of pulling at his shorts before serving, as well as imitating his slow build-up to each point.

Nadal made it clear he was not happy with the perceived insult, although he insists he has not had any problems with Söderling since.

“I had a little bit of a problem (with Söderling) in this tournament a few years ago. After that I never had any problem with him,” Nadal said.

Nadal will go into the match as favourite after drubbing Söderling in three sets in the French Open final recently, but the Swede can point to his win at the same venue 12 months ago as proof that the Spaniard can be beaten.

While Nadal knows it will be harder to beat Söderling on grass than clay, he has no doubts he can advance to the last four.

“I think the match is completely different (to the French Open final) because it’s on grass than on clay,” Nadal said.

“His game is good on every surface but it is probably even more difficult to stop him here, because the ball goes faster and it is going to be very difficult to return and difficult to stop him from the baseline.”

“I think he’s playing with big confidence and a big serve. So he’s playing great. It is going to be a very difficult match for me I think. But hopefully for him, too.”

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

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?

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.

SHOW COMMENTS