French Open '10: Robin Soderling's Giant Killing Act, Part-2

Robin Soderling secured his first victory against Roger Federer in his thirteenth attempt

How often is the term “Giant Killer” used – rather misused – in today’s sporting world? And how often do we really see a Giant Killing act taking its true form in a sport? If we are to judge this act by Robin Soderling’s four set upset over Roger Federer in the Quarter Finals at the Roland Garros, then I can say that not many sporting acts come close to this feat.

Last year he handed Rafael Nadal his first ever loss at Roland Garros in five years. This year he became the first person apart from Nadal to beat Federer at Roland Garros in the last six years. And it was not only the gigantic names in tennis that he defeated. He was also responsible for stopping many gigantic feats in tennis that could have been engraved in the history books for the time to come. Nadal’s pursuit for a fifth straight French Open crown was halted – a feat never accomplished before. Federer’s march towards his 24th consecutive Grand Slam semis was halted, and by stopping this streak he has also created the possibility of stopping Federer’s record 287th week atop the rankings should Nadal manage to go all the way to win the title.

It is said that lightning does not strike the same place twice. But the lightning that was Robin Soderling struck twice in two years on two of the greatest players of modern tennis at the same place at Phillppe Chatrier. So how exactly did Soderling manage to repeat his feat against a player who has normally feasted on tennis players with big serves and heavy forehands?

It certainly did not look possible in the first set when Federer came out all guns blazing on his serve. The points were short, rallies were limited to five shots, and Soderling was clueless on the pace, direction and placement of the Federer’s serve which resulted in Swede winning a meager two points on the Swiss’s serve in the first set. Coupled with his own service woes, it was quick work for the defending champion as he wrapped up the first set in a little over 30 minutes showing the same inhuman form that had made him cruise through the semis and finals of the Australian Open earlier this year.

What this first set did hide, though, was the bigger picture for the match, which showed up the moment Soderling sorted out his issues with the serve – as he later said in the post match interview, he did not play a bad first set, just that he did not serve as well as he would have liked.

The conditions were heavy and damp due to the overcast conditions, which made the balls heavier through the air and slower through the court. Not only did this was in the Swede’s advantage as he got enough time to lock and load his massive forehand (which requires a good court position and big backswing to set up the speed), but it took away probably the biggest strength Federer had enjoyed on clay in the last two seasons – his second serve. I first noticed the high kicking second serve at the Madrid finals last year which did trouble Nadal immensely on that day, and since then it had been a major weapon for the Swiss Master who has faced a lot of trouble getting his first ball inside the service line in recent times. The dampness not only reduced the speed of the ball, but also negated the high bounce that Federer usually enjoys in better conditions. The second ball was landing right in the comfort zone of the tall 6’4” Swede and its inefficiency resulted in more pressure on Federer’s first serve.

These conditions, however, did not rob Soderling of any court speed whatsoever as he was belting first serves on the lines at 220+ kmph and bludgeoning forehands at more than 160 kmph. The raw power of the ground strokes had troubled Federer before in the finals of the US Open ’09 and it again led Federer to hit his ground strokes while being off balance, something not relished by the world No. 1 who relies on exquisite timing and relaxed footwork.

Having said that, Federer was still playing a very fine game – he landed 64 percent first serves in and hit a lot more winners than errors – and this upset would not have been possible merely with the change in conditions. After all, Federer had dispatched the same person in straight sets last year.

Soderling came into the match believing that he could win – something that was felt missing in his game last year when he played Federer – and relied on his instincts to produce a fearless display of absolutely brutal power tennis, probably never seen before. He took his chances by aiming for the lines

Robin Soderling and Roger Federer at the French Open

and never lost composure even in the most opportune moments, the most important one in securing a difficult service hold after failing to convert five break point opportunities late in the fourth set and the nerves of steel while serving for the match.

And it was this belief and fearless attitude that enabled him to take his position and unleash the massive heave of his forehand swing to generate possibly the most devastating forehands seen since Del Potro’s performace in the semis and finals of the US Open last year. If Federer’s game can provide artistic and soothing pleasure to he eyes, Soderling’s power tennis was its antithesis – it provided perverse pleasure which was no less exciting. And on this day, it worked magnificently against the defending champion.

The possibility of a Nadal – Soderling final promises to be the biggest blockbuster in tennis after a Federer – Nadal final in recent years. Should the Swede continue his fine form and the skies pour down some water before the final, he might very well go one step further from what he and his coach, Magnus Norman, achieved in 2009 and 2000 respectively and win the first Grand Slam for Sweden since Stefen Edberg in ’92. If, however, the sun comes out, Nadal will be counting his chickens for his fifth crown on dirt and seventh overall. They both have some distance to go before this happens, though, and the road does not look easy and both Thomas Berdych and Novak Djokovic have silently progressed through the draw, ready to produce yet another upset.

Things are nicely shaped up in the second week, thanks to Soderling. For the second year in a row, the man from Scandinavia has opened up the draw nicely with his giant killing act in an otherwise lackluster tournament.