Once again the two meet at the all white, green meadows of Wimbledon. Robin Soldering just three weeks ago met the Spaniard at the French Open finals where he was defeated in straight sets despite his best efforts. Today, he faces the world number 1 in the quarter finals and will look to take his revenge.
Soldering has his big serve to his advantage but Nadal can counter with his top spin and his quick feet will make it hard for the Swede to win points. But Soldering is very optimistic about this game and says, “It’s gonna be an extremely tough match. He’s world No 1 we played a lot of times and had a lot of tough matches. Again, it’s a quarter-final in a grand slam. But, you know, I think it’s definitely easier to play him on any other surface than clay.”
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There is bitter rivalry between the two as both of them have met each other in big matches. Nadal had said a few years ago, “He’s very strange. I have said hello to him seven times to his face, and he has never said hello to me. He never answers. I thought it was me. But I asked around the locker room; almost nobody had anything nice to say about him.”
In 2007, the pair played a Wimbledon match which received attention for Soderling’s mimicry of Nadal, which had him tugging his shorts like him.
But presently the Spaniard maintains that he has “no problems with him.” “I had a little bit of a problem (with Soderling) in this tournament a few years ago. After that I never had any problem with him,” he claimed.
We have seen the number 1 being tested during this tournament but he seems to emerge as the favourite to win this match though Soldering is playing very well and improving every game but when it comes to nerves of steel the Spaniard has got them.
Nadal says, “I think the match is completely different (to the French Open final) because it’s on grass than on clay. 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.
Nadal still has a 4-2 record against the Swede on all surfaces. This will be a very entertaining match: the big man from Sweden will try and do everything not to repeat what happen in the last game they played each other.
A five set game is on the cards and it will be a mouth-watering treat as whoever wins this match may play Andy Murray in the semi finals who is in good touch in this tournament.
