Today was the day for Roger Federer SUI (2). After being the runner up in 2006, 2007, and 2008, Federer demolished Robin Soderling SWE (23). Never in his career had Federer achieved the ultimate victory on the red clay of Roland-Garros. Today, the Swiss phenom finally added this elusive title to his collection of grand slam victories.
It took Fedderer under two hours, one hour fifty-five minutes, to dispatch Soderling. Sixteen Aces from Federer to Soderling’s two was a major factor in the win, as was Federer’s success at the net, winning nine of eleven points when he approached. Both players had an inordinately high number of unforced errors, twenty-four for Federer and twenty-two for Soderling. In the end Soderling who can claim his best grand slam performance to date was felled in straight sets, 6-1, 7-6 (7-1), 6-4.
Next up is Wimbledon and then the U.S. Open. Huge questions have been raised thanks to Soderling’s remarkable performance. Will Soderling’s defeat of Nadal help to dispel the mythos that has been created around the Spanish powerhouse. Does his defeat show a chink in Nadal’s armour that can be exploited by his future opponents? In an atmosphere where many had been predicting Federer was on the downside of his career, does this quiet those critics? With the exception of three semi final appearances, Federer has either won or been the runner up in every grand slam tournament since 2004, this does not appear to be a player on the downside of his career. Instead, Federer is undoubtedly at the pinnacle of his career. And where does Djokovic fit in to the equation? And Robin Soderling? And Andy Murray? There is a lot of tennis yet to be played, this year and in years to come by these great competitors.
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