French Open Final 2010
Nadal beats Soderling,
6-4, 6-2, 6-4
Nadal gave Soderling quite the spanking today, taking his 5th Roland Garros crown and putting away any doubts that Soderling was remotely a challenge on clay. I must admit to being one of the guilty few to assume that Soddy would take the final in 4 sets. Wishful thinking? I don’t think so. I thought Soderling was ready to bring his A game but much like Federer did against Murray in Aussie ’10, Nadal imposed his will and in the end Soderling just couldn’t seem to get in the match. On the big occasions, Nadal and Federer clearly know how to completely stall their opponents’ ability to get into a rhythm and find their game. Similar to Murray, who couldn’t seem to string points together, Soderling was either going for too much or simply being passive when the moment required boldness. I do not believe that Soderling lacked the game to beat Nadal, I just thought he lacked the will today. While I cheered Federer’s ability to make Murray mush brained in Oz, this time around it was not as pleasurable as I like Soddy and wanted to see him triumph. I clearly must as I hold no animosity towards the man that thwarted Federer! Here’s hoping Soddy continues to be a one-man spoiler for many years to come.
The downside of Nadal’s win today is that he recaptures the #1 spot and can possibly hold it for the remainder of the year as he has little points to lose. I don’t usually pay attention to rank because Feddy was always at the top. However, these past few weeks, I have gotten caught up in the frenzy of records and wanted him to bypass Pete Sampras’s weeks at #1. A couple of sloppy moments earlier in the year has allowed Federer to sacrifice that goal but I think it’s temporary. Though I was very bitter earlier in the day, I’ve since calmed down. I caught a few fan videos of Federer and was reminded of how fortunate I am to get to see this guy play.
I allowed myself to focus on some fictional race about who is the greatest ever, forgetting to savor a game, a set, or even a match. I’m going to let others kill themselves/savage their knees in a race to keep up with Federer. Instead, this fan girl is going to relish the moments I can see great live tennis this summer and let the numbers take care of themselves. This sport has proven to be unpredictable time and time again: Melzer in the semis, anyone!? So, I’m going to let the year play out and let the players write their own stories rather than demand they fit into my limited one. #1 or #2, I’m just happy that Federer is in the game!