Former World #4 Robin Soderling Retires from Professional Tennis
Swedish tennis star Robin Soderling, who has been absent on tour since 2011 battling a case of mononucleosis, has decided that getting back into the shape required to be at the top of the game would be too much to ask at this stage of his life.
Going into 2009 Roland Garros, Soderling had yet to make a monumental impact during a slam. This would change within the following two weeks when he took out four-time defending champion Rafael Nadal in four sets in the fourth round. Showing flat ballstriking of the highest order requiring combined with nerves of steel, he was able to accomplish what no man had been able to do up until that point: For six years, he held the honor of being the only man to defeat Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros until Novak Djokovic toppled him in Paris this year. His relationship with Nadal has been tested over the years as he imitated many of his mannerisms during their Wimbledon 2007 encounter which Nadal went on to win in five sets. While many thought this behavior was classless, it demonstrated that he was not afraid to go toe to toe with the big guns mentally.
Soderling backed up his stunning upset by defeating Nikolai Davydenko and Fernando Gonzales to reach the final where he was routed by Roger Federer. He would gain redemption a year later, taking out Federer in the quarterfinals of Roland en route to a second final appearance. This time, Nadal would get the best of him. He would reach back to back quarterfinals at the US Open as well as a quarterfinal appearance at the Wimbledon Championships in 2010. Within the first few months of 2011, Soderling had solidified his position as the #4 player in the world.
His mono began to take the toll on the former world #4 during the summer of that year, however. Despite a quarterfinal appearance at Roland Garros losing to Nadal, he fell short in the third round of Wimbledon to Bernard Tomic. He managed to win his home tournament in Bastad, routing both Tomas Berdych and David Ferrer. This would end up being the last professional tournament he ever played. While it does not appear that way, he went out on a high.
Even though he spent an extended period sidelined, he always intended to return. In a tour dominated by four men, his presence has been desperately missed by the fans on tour. With Juan Martin del Potro absent with a wrist injury, the gap between the big four and the rest seems even bigger, despite Stan Wawrinka’s Australian Open and Roland Garros triumphs. Robin Soderling’s ballstriking as well as s self-belief against the top opposition will be hard to replace on today’s tour. The former world #4 finishes his career with two slam finals and 10 career titles which includes the 2010 Paris Masters.
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