Robin Söderling
Encyclopedia
Robin Bo Carl Söderling (ˈrɔbɪn ˈsøːdəɭɪŋ; born 14 August 1984 in Tibro
) is a professional tennis
player from Sweden who is currently ranked number 13 in the ATP rankings
. Söderling reached successive French Open finals in 2009
and 2010
. In both tournaments, he defeated the defending champion and number 1 seed en route to the final — Rafael Nadal
in 2009 (becoming the first and, to date, only player to defeat Nadal at the French Open), and Roger Federer
in 2010 (ending Federer's record streak of 23 consecutive Grand Slam semifinals). He has also won one Masters 1000 event, the 2010 Paris Masters
.
. In the same year Söderling achieved fourth place in the year-end ranking and played in his first ATP tournament in Stockholm
, winning his first match 6–3 6–3 against Ramón Delgado
.
(coming from the qualifying rounds) and reached an ATP final in Stockholm
(losing a decisive tie-break there), earning the year-end ranking of 86.
Robin's first ATP title came in 2004 at the Lyon
where he beat Belgian Xavier Malisse
in the final. He also made the final at Marseille. By the end of the year, Söderling climbed into the world's top 50 in the rankings.
(defeating Radek Štěpánek
in final). After a mediocre and injury troubled season from there on, Söderling reached the third round in the US Open
before going through another surgery.
Returning in 2006, he bounced back from 100th place in the Indesit ATP rankings to top 50 within three months, even though knee and shoulder injuries still prevented him from playing at his best. He helped the Swedish team with two wins to keep its World Group Davis Cup spot in a play-off in Brazil. During this he earned sufficient ATP points to finish at a career-high place of 25.
In 2007 Söderling made it to the round of 32 at Wimbledon
, where he lost to Rafael Nadal
in a five-set match. He caused much controversy on the court when he exchanged mocking behaviour with Nadal, tugging on his shorts in the manner Nadal is known for after growing tired of Nadal's slow play at the beginning of the 5th.
Söderling did not make it to an ATP final for the first time in five years in 2007, however he turned out consistent results throughout the year. He missed the last 3 months of the main tour due to a left wrist injury. Söderling missed the Australian Open due to injury. The first tournament he entered in 2008 was the Open 13 Marseille, where he reached the quarterfinals. He then reached the final of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament (Rotterdam), finishing runner-up to Michaël Llodra in the final, 7–6, 2–3, 6–3. The next week he reached another final at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis, U.S. He beat top seed Andy Roddick in the tournament along the way to the final. However he lost another final in two weeks as he finished runner-up to unseeded Steve Darcis, 6–3, 7–6.
in Düsseldorf on clay, he was undefeated in four singles and four doubles matches. He became only the third player in history of that event to accomplish that feat since John McEnroe
in 1984 and Fernando González
in 2003. Winning all of his matches there, he led the Swedish team to the victory.
In late May he reached the 3rd round in the French Open where he lost against home player Julien Bennetau. At Wimbledon, he lost to Roger Federer
in the round of 64 in three straight sets. After disappointing results in both the Beijing Olympics and the US Open, Söderling decided to break up with his trainer Peter Carlsson. He took on former Swedish world number 2 Magnus Norman
as support until he appointed a new trainer. With the help of Norman, Robin reached his third final of the year in his native Sweden at Stockholm
, but lost to David Nalbandian
in a tough match (2–6, 7–5, 3–6). Three weeks later Söderling finally clinched a final win for his first title in 3 years, and the second on the particular venue, at the Lyon
tournament, defeating Julien Benneteau
in three sets (6–3, 6–7, 6–1). On his way to the final he recorded wins over top seed Andy Roddick
in the quarterfinals, as well as the French number one Gilles Simon
in the semi, both ranked in the top 10 ATP South African Airways ranking. With that, Söderling himself climbed as high as no. 18 in the rankings, a new career best. He finished the year with a career high ranking of no. 17. On 4 November he announced that Magnus Norman
would be his trainer starting right after his vacation.
at the 2009 Brisbane International
. He lost in the quarterfinals against Radek Štěpánek
, who eventually won the tournament. Söderling then participated in the 2009 Heineken Open
where he lost in the semifinals against Juan Martín del Potro
, again losing to the eventual champion. He was seeded 16th at the 2009 Australian Open
and lost to an unseeded Marcos Baghdatis
in the second round.
He then entered the Indian Wells Masters
1000 event, losing to Nicolás Lapentti
4–6, 6–7(7) in the second round. Despite playing well and winning the challenger Sunrise
, Söderling suffered from injuries mixed with poor results for over two months. He finally won consecutive matches for the first time on the ATP tour since the 2009 Australian Open
at the Rome Masters
, before falling to World No. 1 Rafael Nadal
in a controversial match 1–6, 0–6 in the third round. Following another third round exit at the Madrid Masters
against Roger Federer
, Söderling next competed at the ARAG World Team Cup in Düsseldorf, as part of the Swedish contingent. Although Sweden did not win, Söderling defeated Gilles Simon
and Rainer Schüttler
, the latter 6–0, 6–0.
At the 2009 French Open
, Söderling, seeded 23, reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time after defeating Kevin Kim
, Denis Istomin
, and David Ferrer
. This set up a match with four-time defending champion Rafael Nadal
. He scored the biggest upset of the year beating Nadal and ending his record 31-match winning streak at Roland Garros. Women's tennis legend Martina Navratilova described the match as one of the greatest upsets in tennis history. His 6–2, 6–7(2), 6–4, 7–6(2) victory over the reigning World No. 1 made Söderling the first and, as of , only person to beat Nadal in French Open, and also only person to beat Nadal in a best of five-set match on clay. Two days later, facing number 10 seed and two-time semifinalist Nikolay Davydenko
, Söderling won 6–1, 6–3, 6–1 to reach his maiden major semifinal. Söderling made his first Grand Slam final, beating Fernando González
6–3, 7–5, 5–7, 4–6, 6–4 after having been down 0–30 and 1–4 in the final set, then reeling off the final five games of the set and match. Söderling lost the final to Federer 1–6, 6–7(1), 4–6; however, his ranking was elevated to 12th in the world, a career high.
Söderling was seeded 13th at the 2009 Wimbledon Championships
, his next event. He reached the fourth round for the first time in his career, defeating Gilles Müller
, Marcel Granollers
, and Nicolás Almagro
on the way there. Söderling set up another match with Federer, a five-time champion at Wimbledon; though Federer defeated him again, 6–4, 7–6(5), 7–6(5), Söderling was only broken once in the match.
After Wimbledon, Söderling returned to his native country to play at the 2009 Collector Swedish Open
. As the number two seed, he received a first round bye. He defeated Kristof Vliegen
6–2, 6–3 in the second round, and won his quarterfinal match against Nicolás Almagro
7–5, 6–3. Söderling reached the final by defeating fellow countryman, Andreas Vinciguerra
, 6–1, 7–6(6). There, he beat Juan Mónaco
6–3, 7–6(4) for the title, becoming the first Swede since his coach Magnus Norman
(in 2000) to win the singles title at the Swedish Open. This was Söderling's first outdoor title, as well as his first title on a surface other than indoor hardcourt. As a result of his win, Söderling moved up to 11th in the world.
Söderling then participated in the 2009 International German Open
but lost in the third round to Nicolás Almagro
. This was Söderling's first loss to a player other than Federer since the Rome Masters
in late April, where he lost to Rafael Nadal
.
Moving over to the U.S hardcourt season, Söderling started at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic
but had to pull out in the quarterfinals due to an elbow injury which forced Söderling to withdraw from the 2009 Rogers Cup
as well. Returning to the scene at 2009 Cincinnati Masters, he lost in the first round to Lleyton Hewitt
.
Söderling was seeded No.12 at the 2009 US Open
and advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time at Flushing Meadows after defeating notable opponents such as Albert Montañés
, Marcel Granollers
, in form American No.22 seed Sam Querrey
and No.8 seed Nikolay Davydenko
. En route to the quarterfinals, Söderling had a bit of luck on the fact that two of his opponents retired, including the Russian, who retired when Söderling led 7–5, 3–6, 6–2. Söderling went on to face five-time defending champion and No.1 seed Roger Federer
for the fourth time this year (three of them in a Grand Slam event). Söderling was defeated by Federer 0–6, 3–6, 7–6(6), 6–7(6). This was the second time in the pair's 12 meetings that Söderling took a set against Federer.
In Davis Cup Playoffs, he helped a 3–2 win over Romania and a chance for Sweden to compete in the 2010 Davis Cup by clinching a 7–5, 6–1, 6–0 victory over world #28 Victor Hănescu
.
After US Open, he reached the semifinals in both 2009 Malaysian Open and 2009 China Open
before the Shanghai Masters
where he officially made it into the top 10 for the first time, notably beating fifth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6–3, 6–3. However, he was upset in the quarterfinals by Feliciano López
6–7(4), 3–6. Söderling was the No. 1 seed at the Stockholm Open
but due to an elbow injury had to retire in the semifinals. Though not a serious injury, Söderling retired from the 2009 Valencia Open 500
tournament as well. At the moment no.9 on the ATP Race, Söderling needed a big performance in 2009 BNP Paribas Masters
to reach the ATP World Tour Finals. He started strong against Ivo Karlović
, winning in straight sets, 6–4, 7–6(6), and beat sixth seed Davydenko in the third round, 6–3, 3–6, 6–4. Söderling lost his chance of qualifying to the ATP World Tour Finals when No. 3 seed Novak Djokovic
was too strong in the quarterfinals and won in three sets, 6–4, 1–6, 6–3.
However, Söderling qualified as first reserve for the finals when American Andy Roddick
withdrew due to an injury sustained in Shanghai. Söderling was drawn into a group comprising Rafael Nadal
, Novak Djokovic
and Nikolay Davydenko
. He made an impressive start, beating Nadal in his first robin match 6–4 6–4. He followed that up with a 7–6(5) 6–1 win over Djokovic. He was then assured a place in the semi finals of this year-end championships. However, he lost to Nikolay Davydenko
6–7(4) 6–4 3–6 in his third and final round robin match. Despite this, he became the winner of his group (group B), and set up a semifinal clash with US Open champion Juan Martín del Potro
who defeated him 6–7(1), 6–3, 7–6(3). Söderling finished the year ranked No. 8, a career best.
Söderling made his 2010 debut at the Capitala World Tennis Championship
, an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi. He started in the quarterfinals, defeating Stanislas Wawrinka
, 7–6(4), 7–6(2). Söderling then came back from a set and break down to defeat Roger Federer
6–7(6), 7–6(1), 6–2. Although generally reported in the media as being the first time Söderling had defeated Federer in 13 attempts, as an exhibition it remains an unofficial match that does not count on record. Söderling faced Rafael Nadal
in the final, but was defeated 6–7(3), 5–7.
Söderling then headed to Chennai
, India to participate in the 2010 Aircel Chennai Open
where he was the first seed but lost in the first round to American Robby Ginepri
.
Robin Söderling was seeded eighth but lost in the first round of the 2010 Australian Open
to unseeded Spaniard Marcel Granollers
7–5, 6–2, 4–6, 4–6, 2–6.
Söderling received a wildcard to the 2010 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
and was seeded third. He won his first ATP match of the year defeating Florent Serra
4–6, 6–4, 6–1 in the first round and went on to win the tournament, when, leading 6–4, 2–0 against Mikhail Youzhny
, Youzhny retired with a hamstring injury, becoming Söderling's biggest tournament win (in terms of point size) until he won the Paris Masters later the same year.
Söderling was the first seed at the 2010 Open 13
in Marseille but lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Michaël Llodra
6–7(2), 4–6. He won both his singles ties against Argentina in 2010 Davis Cup
, though Sweden lost eventually 3–2. Söderling was seeded sixth at the 2010 BNP Paribas Open
, losing in the semifinals to seventh seed Andy Roddick
after a three-set match, 4–6, 6–3, 3–6. Seeded fifth in the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open
, Söderling was once again eliminated in the semifinals, this time by Tomáš Berdych
2–6, 2–6.
After good results in the U.S, Robin returned to Europe for the clay court season but had to pull out of 2010 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters
due to an overstrained knee. His clay court season got under way at the 2010 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell
where he reached the final after impressive victories over the likes of Juan Ignacio Chela
, Feliciano López
, Eduardo Schwank
and Thiemo de Bakker
. He fell to fifth seed Fernando Verdasco
in three sets.
Söderling had a dip in form after poor results in both 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
and 2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open
winning just one match against Paolo Lorenzi
in Rome. His final tournament before Roland Garros was 2010 Open de Nice Côte d'Azur where he was the first seed. There, after receiving bye in the first round, he fell in the second round as Olivier Rochus
upset the Swede 6–2, 4–6, 4–6.
Söderling was seeded 5th at the 2010 French Open
where he defeated Federer for the first time in his career in a tour-level match. Söderling's victory snapped Federer's streak of 24 consecutive semifinal appearances in Grand Slam tournaments and marked the second consecutive year that Söderling defeated the defending French Open champion. In the semifinals, he defeated the number 15 seed Tomáš Berdych
6–3, 3–6, 5–7, 6–3, 6–3 to reach his second consecutive French Open final. By this win, Söderling guaranteed himself a career-high ranking of 6. Söderling faced Rafael Nadal
in the final and could not stop the Spaniard as he fell 4–6, 2–6, 4–6.
After another successful run at Roland Garros, Söderling entered the 2010 Wimbledon Championships
as the sixth seed where he lost, in the quarterfinals, to eventual champion Rafael Nadal
6–3, 3–6, 6–7(4), 1–6. Despite the loss, he guaranteed himself a career-high world number 5 ranking for the first time.
Returning to his native country for the first time since the Davis Cup tie in March, Söderling was seeded top at the 2010 Swedish Open
; a tournament that he won the previous year. He lost in the final against Nicolás Almagro
in the final, 5–7, 6–3, 2–6.
After a three week hiatus from competition, Söderling started off his U.S hardcourt season with the ATP World Tour Masters 1000
event 2010 Rogers Cup where he was seeded fifth, but was defeated by Argentine David Nalbandian
6–4, 4–6, 1–6 in the third round.
At the 2010 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters, Söderling was again the fifth seed and received a bye into the second round where he defeated Lleyton Hewitt
4–6, 6–3, 7–5. He lost in the third round to Andy Roddick
.
Entering the final Grand Slam event of the year, Söderling was seeded 5th at the 2010 US Open
. He defeated qualifier Andreas Haider-Maurer
in a tough five set opening round. In the second round, Söderling beat Taylor Dent
with ease 6–2, 6–2, 6–4. He then played Thiemo de Bakker
in the third round, and won comfortably in straight sets 6–2, 6–3, 6–3. He came trough Albert Montañés
in four sets to set up a quarterfinal showdown with Roger Federer
, but could not stop the Swiss maestro as he lost 4–6, 4–6, 5–7 in tough conditions. He then went back to Sweden to compete in the 2010 Davis Cup
, where Sweden retained their World Group status as they outmatched Italy.
Traveling to Asia for the Asian swing, Söderling had three quarterfinal showings. First at the 2010 Proton Malaysian Open
in Kuala Lumpur, and then at the 2010 China Open
in Beijing. He competed in Shanghai for the 2010 Shanghai Rolex Masters 1000
, where he maintained his concistency beating Janko Tipsarević
6–3, 7–6(5), and David Ferrer
7–5, 6–4. He lost to Federer in the quarterfinals 1–6, 1–6.
Back in Stockholm, competing at the 2010 If Stockholm Open
, he reached the quarterfinals after bowing out to eventual runner up Florian Mayer
. Though a disappointing week for the swede, he ensured his place in the ATP World Tour Finals as he became the 5th player to qualify.
After a semifinal spot in Valencia, Söderling traveled to Paris to compete at the 2010 BNP Paribas Masters
. Receiving a bye to the 2nd round, Söderling defeated Gilles Simon
6–4, 6–0. Up next was Stanislas Wawrinka
, 7–6(3), 6–3. In the quarterfinals, Söderling won over Andy Roddick
, also in straight sets 7–5, 6–4. Söderling then saved three match points in beating Michaël Llodra
to reach his first Masters 1000 final, and won the championship by defeating Gaël Monfils
(who had also saved match points in his semi-final against Roger Federer) in the final 6–1, 7–6(1). He became the first Swedish player to win Paris since Thomas Enqvist
in 1996, and the first Swedish winner of a Masters 1000 since Enqvist won Cincinnati in 2000. With the win, he ensured a career high ranking of No.4 by overtaking Andy Murray.
Söderling's final tournament of the year was at the 2010 ATP World Tour Finals
where he failed to progress through the group stage, winning one match against David Ferrer
and losing to Andy Murray and Roger Federer
. He finished the year as world no.5, a career best.
Söderling and coach Magnus Norman
decided on 1 December 2010 that they will not continue their collaboration.
Robin Söderling announced in early December 2010 that his new coach was to be Claudio Pistolesi
.
at his side, he finished third at the exhibition in Abu Dhabi
. Söderlings first ATP World Tour tournament of the year was Brisbane International
where he defeated Ryan Harrison, Michael Berrer
, Matthew Ebden
and Radek Štěpánek
en route to the final. Söderling went on to win the tournament without dropping a set and only broken once, winning against Andy Roddick
6–3, 7–5 in the final. This elevated his ranking to No. 4 in the world, improving his seeding for the Australian Open.
Söderling reached the fourth round at the 2011 Australian Open
, a career best. As the fourth seed, he made his way to that without dropping a set, before being defeated in five sets by the unseeded Alexandr Dolgopolov.
Returning to Europe, he competed at the 2011 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
in Rotterdam. As the first seed and defending champion, he successfully defended his title by defeating Robin Haase
6–3, 6–2, Philipp Kohlschreiber
6–3, 5–7, 7–6(7), Mikhail Youzhny
6–4, 7–6(5), Viktor Troicki
7–5, 6–4 and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final 6–3, 3–6, 6–3. This was Söderling's second title of the year and eighth of his career. This also marked the first time he defended a title.
After success in Rotterdam, he traveled to Marseille for the 2011 Open 13
. As the first seed, he defeated Nicolas Mahut
, Michaël Llodra
and Dmitry Tursunov
en route to a second final in two weeks. There he faced Marin Čilić
and after losing the first set, he came back, eventually winning 6–7(8), 6–3, 6–3. This was Söderling's third title of the year and ninth of his career.
After helping Sweden win the Davis Cup tie against Russia, Söderling had a dip in form spanning from early March to the beginning of May, only getting past the third round once in four events. Due to the lack of form, Söderling opted to split with his coach Claudio Pistolesi, only five months in on the partnership. Days later, Fredrik Rosengren was appointed new coach of Söderling.
At the 2011 Mutua Madrid Open
, Soderling saw off Santiago Giraldo
and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to set up a quarterfinal matchup with Roger Federer
which he lost 7–6(2) 6–4.
In the first round of the 2011 Rome Masters, Soderling survived a scare as he saved 3 match points en route to defeating Fernando Verdasco
2–6 7–5 6–4. After winning 6–3, 3–6, 6–4 against Nicolas Almagro
, he faced Novak Djokovic
in the quarterfinals which he lost 6–3, 6–0.
At the 2011 French Open
, Soderling (seeded fifth) beat Ryan Harrison in the first round 6–1, 6–7 (5–7), 6–3, 7–5. Harrison was up 5–4 in the fourth set, within one game of forcing a fifth and deciding set, but ceded the final three games, the fourth set, and ultimately the match to Söderling. Söderling then plowed through Albert Ramos, Leonardo Mayer
and Gilles Simon
without losing a set to land himself a quarterfinal showdown with world no 1 Rafael Nadal
. Söderling's hopes of repeating his 2009 upset of the Spaniard proved futile, as he was swept off the course in straight sets.
At the 2011 Wimbledon Championships
, Söderling (seeded fifth) defeated Philipp Petzschner
of Germany in the first round, coming up against one-time Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt
in the second. Hewitt won the first two sets (7–6, 6–3), but Söderling fought back, snatched a couple of well-timed service breaks, ultimately going through to the third round after winning the last three sets 7–5, 6–4, 6–4. In the third round, however, Robin Söderling, troubled by a bad stomach, lost to Bernard Tomic
of Australia 1–6, 4–6, 5–7.
After Wimbledon, Söderling announced that he would not take part in Sweden's Davis Cup fixture against reigning champions Serbia, preparing instead for the 2011 Swedish Open
. He did not drop a single set in the entire tournament. En route defeating world no. 8 Tomas Berdych
in the semifinal 6–1, 6–0, and went on to defeat David Ferrer
in the final 6–2, 6–2, bagging his fourth title of the year.
Due to a wrist injury, Söderling was forced to withdraw from the back-to-back hard court Masters tournaments, in Montreal and Cincinnati. He was also diagnosed with mononucleosis, an illness that forced him to withdraw from the U.S. Open at the last minute. He had been slated to play Louk Sorensen
of Ireland in the first round. With the illness continuing to hamper his progress, he decided to take yet more time out, withdrawing from the Shanghai Masters.
. Söderling wears Lotto
clothing and recently switched from the Head
YOUTEK Radical Midplus racquet to the Head Youtek Prestige Midplus.
Tibro
Tibro is a locality and the seat of Tibro Municipality in Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 8,005 inhabitants in 2005. Tibro has a long tradition of furniture production.-Sports:The following sports clubs are located in Tibro:* Tibro AIK FK...
) is a professional tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player from Sweden who is currently ranked number 13 in the ATP rankings
ATP Entry Ranking
The 'Tennis men', as defined by the Association of Tennis Professionals , are the "objective merit-based method used for determining qualification for entry and seeding in all tournaments for both singles and doubles, except as modified for the ARAG ATP World Tour Team Championship and Barclays ATP...
. Söderling reached successive French Open finals in 2009
2009 French Open
The 2009 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 108th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year...
and 2010
2010 French Open
The 2010 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 109th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year...
. In both tournaments, he defeated the defending champion and number 1 seed en route to the final — Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
in 2009 (becoming the first and, to date, only player to defeat Nadal at the French Open), and Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
in 2010 (ending Federer's record streak of 23 consecutive Grand Slam semifinals). He has also won one Masters 1000 event, the 2010 Paris Masters
2010 BNP Paribas Masters
The 2010 BNP Paribas Masters was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 36th edition of the tournament known that year as the BNP Paribas Masters after the sponsor BNP Paribas. It was part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 of the 2010 ATP World Tour. It was held at the Palais...
.
Personal life
Söderling speaks English, Swedish and a bit of German. His father Bo is a lawyer and mother Britt-Inger, a housewife. Söderling's sister, Sandra, is a teacher. He is married to Jenni Moström.Juniors
Söderling began playing tennis at the age of five. He made his first steps in international tennis in November 1998 in Luxembourg when at the age of 14 he played his first official junior tournament, losing the opening match to Fred Hemmes, Jr. In his first full year in the junior tour (2000), he achieved four tournament victories and in 2001 attained three more titles in the juniors including the Orange BowlOrange Bowl (tennis)
The Orange Bowl is an annual college football bowl game. Orange Bowl may also refer to:* Miami Orange Bowl, a demolished stadium formerly in Miami, Florida* One of two tennis tournaments, one for juniors and the other for youth...
. In the same year Söderling achieved fourth place in the year-end ranking and played in his first ATP tournament in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, winning his first match 6–3 6–3 against Ramón Delgado
Ramon Delgado
Ramón Delgado is a tennis player from Paraguay, who turned professional in 1995. At the 1998 French Open, he defeated Pete Sampras in the second round. He has not won a single title during his career so far...
.
2002–2004
Söderling tried to break into the men's circuit in 2002, playing five more ATP tournaments and the second round of the US Open. In the Challenger circuit he achieved a 16–8 record, and he played in the US Open Junior tournament where he reached the final. In 2003 the transition to the main tour was completed as he reached the third round at WimbledonThe Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
(coming from the qualifying rounds) and reached an ATP final in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
(losing a decisive tie-break there), earning the year-end ranking of 86.
Robin's first ATP title came in 2004 at the Lyon
Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon
The Open Sud de France is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the ATP Tour. It was held annually at the Palais des Sports de Gerland in Lyon, France, in October, from 1987 through to 2009, before being relocated to...
where he beat Belgian Xavier Malisse
Xavier Malisse
Xavier Malisse is a Belgian tennis player. Born in Kortrijk, Belgium, he is the only men's player from his country to have been ranked in the top 20 of the ATP tour. He is sponsored by Prince and Lotto. His nickname is "The X-Man"....
in the final. He also made the final at Marseille. By the end of the year, Söderling climbed into the world's top 50 in the rankings.
2005–2007
Söderling suffered his first serious injury in 2005, eventually resulting in a knee operation in March. But even though not fit to play many tournaments, he managed to win another title – in MilanMilan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
(defeating Radek Štěpánek
Radek Štepánek
Radek Štěpánek is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic.-Career:Štěpánek turned professional in 1997. He started on tour as a doubles specialist, winning 12 ATP titles. Since 2002, Štěpánek has focused on being a better singles player while still playing top-level doubles...
in final). After a mediocre and injury troubled season from there on, Söderling reached the third round in the US Open
U.S. Open (tennis)
The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...
before going through another surgery.
Returning in 2006, he bounced back from 100th place in the Indesit ATP rankings to top 50 within three months, even though knee and shoulder injuries still prevented him from playing at his best. He helped the Swedish team with two wins to keep its World Group Davis Cup spot in a play-off in Brazil. During this he earned sufficient ATP points to finish at a career-high place of 25.
In 2007 Söderling made it to the round of 32 at Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
, where he lost to Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
in a five-set match. He caused much controversy on the court when he exchanged mocking behaviour with Nadal, tugging on his shorts in the manner Nadal is known for after growing tired of Nadal's slow play at the beginning of the 5th.
Söderling did not make it to an ATP final for the first time in five years in 2007, however he turned out consistent results throughout the year. He missed the last 3 months of the main tour due to a left wrist injury. Söderling missed the Australian Open due to injury. The first tournament he entered in 2008 was the Open 13 Marseille, where he reached the quarterfinals. He then reached the final of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament (Rotterdam), finishing runner-up to Michaël Llodra in the final, 7–6, 2–3, 6–3. The next week he reached another final at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships in Memphis, U.S. He beat top seed Andy Roddick in the tournament along the way to the final. However he lost another final in two weeks as he finished runner-up to unseeded Steve Darcis, 6–3, 7–6.
2008
At the 2008 World Team Cup2008 World Team Cup
The 2008 ARAG World Team Cup was a tennis tournament play on outdoor clay courts. It was the 30th edition of the World Team Cup, and was part of the 250 series of the 2008 ATP Tour...
in Düsseldorf on clay, he was undefeated in four singles and four doubles matches. He became only the third player in history of that event to accomplish that feat since John McEnroe
John McEnroe
John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...
in 1984 and Fernando González
Fernando González
----Fernando Francisco González Ciuffardi is a professional tennis player from Chile. He is known for having one of the hardest forehands on the circuit. In Spanish he is called El Bombardero de La Reina and Mano de Piedra...
in 2003. Winning all of his matches there, he led the Swedish team to the victory.
In late May he reached the 3rd round in the French Open where he lost against home player Julien Bennetau. At Wimbledon, he lost to Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
in the round of 64 in three straight sets. After disappointing results in both the Beijing Olympics and the US Open, Söderling decided to break up with his trainer Peter Carlsson. He took on former Swedish world number 2 Magnus Norman
Magnus Norman
Magnus Norman is a retired Swedish professional tennis player who is best known for being the runner-up at the French Open in 2000 and for briefly being ranked World Number 2. He won 12 singles titles, including a Tennis Masters Series tournament in Rome, Italy.Norman reached his career high...
as support until he appointed a new trainer. With the help of Norman, Robin reached his third final of the year in his native Sweden at Stockholm
Stockholm Open
The If Stockholm Open is a tennis event on the ATP Tour held in Stockholm, Sweden in the end of October or beginning of November each year. The organizer of the tournament is The Royal Lawn Tennis Club of Stockholm....
, but lost to David Nalbandian
David Nalbandian
David Pablo Nalbandian is an Argentine professional tennis player and former world no. 3. He was runner-up at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships and the winner of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005.-Biography:...
in a tough match (2–6, 7–5, 3–6). Three weeks later Söderling finally clinched a final win for his first title in 3 years, and the second on the particular venue, at the Lyon
Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon
The Open Sud de France is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the ATP Tour. It was held annually at the Palais des Sports de Gerland in Lyon, France, in October, from 1987 through to 2009, before being relocated to...
tournament, defeating Julien Benneteau
Julien Benneteau
Julien Benneteau is a professional male tennis player from France. His career-best singles ranking is ATP world no. 32, which he reached in July 2010. He formerly resided in Boulogne Billancourt and now lives in Geneva...
in three sets (6–3, 6–7, 6–1). On his way to the final he recorded wins over top seed Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
in the quarterfinals, as well as the French number one Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon is a French professional tennis player and former world no. 6. He is a nine-time winner on the ATP World Tour...
in the semi, both ranked in the top 10 ATP South African Airways ranking. With that, Söderling himself climbed as high as no. 18 in the rankings, a new career best. He finished the year with a career high ranking of no. 17. On 4 November he announced that Magnus Norman
Magnus Norman
Magnus Norman is a retired Swedish professional tennis player who is best known for being the runner-up at the French Open in 2000 and for briefly being ranked World Number 2. He won 12 singles titles, including a Tennis Masters Series tournament in Rome, Italy.Norman reached his career high...
would be his trainer starting right after his vacation.
2009
With his new coach, Söderling started the 2009 ATP World Tour2009 ATP World Tour
The Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour is the elite professional tennis circuit organised by the ATP. The 2009 ATP World Tour calendar comprises the Grand Slam tournaments , the ATP World Tour Masters 1000, the ATP World Tour 500 series, the ATP World Tour 250 series, the ATP World...
at the 2009 Brisbane International
2009 Brisbane International
The 2009 Brisbane International was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the first edition of the event known as the Brisbane International and resulted from the merger of the Next Generation Adelaide International on the men's tour with the Mondial Australian...
. He lost in the quarterfinals against Radek Štěpánek
Radek Štepánek
Radek Štěpánek is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic.-Career:Štěpánek turned professional in 1997. He started on tour as a doubles specialist, winning 12 ATP titles. Since 2002, Štěpánek has focused on being a better singles player while still playing top-level doubles...
, who eventually won the tournament. Söderling then participated in the 2009 Heineken Open
2009 Heineken Open
The 2009 Heineken Open is a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It is the 34th edition of the Heineken Open, and part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2009 ATP Tour...
where he lost in the semifinals against Juan Martín del Potro
Juan Martin Del Potro
Juan Martín del Potro is an Argentine professional tennis player. Del Potro achieved a top-10 ranking by the Association of Tennis Professionals for the first time on October 6, 2008. In January 2010, he reached a career-high ranking of world no. 4...
, again losing to the eventual champion. He was seeded 16th at the 2009 Australian Open
2009 Australian Open
The 2009 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 97th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 19 January through 1 February 2009. The 2009 men's...
and lost to an unseeded Marcos Baghdatis
Marcos Baghdatis
At the French Open, Baghdatis lost in the second round in five sets to Frenchman Julien Benneteau, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 7-6, 4-6.At Wimbledon, Baghdatis defeated British player Andy Murray in the fourth round in straight sets. In the quarterfinals, Baghdatis beat the 2002 champion and former world no. 1...
in the second round.
Indian Wells Masters
The Indian Wells Masters is an annual tennis tournament held in Indian Wells, California....
1000 event, losing to Nicolás Lapentti
Nicolás Lapentti
----Nicolás Alexander Lapentti Gómez is a former professional tennis player from Ecuador who is ranked 214th...
4–6, 6–7(7) in the second round. Despite playing well and winning the challenger Sunrise
BMW Tennis Championship
The BMW Tennis Championship is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It is currently part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Challenger Tour. It is held annually at the Sunrise Tennis Club in Sunrise, Florida, USA, since 2004.-Singles:-Doubles:-External links:**...
, Söderling suffered from injuries mixed with poor results for over two months. He finally won consecutive matches for the first time on the ATP tour since the 2009 Australian Open
Australian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
at the Rome Masters
Rome Masters
The Italian Open is an annual tennis tournament held in Rome, Italy. It is the most prestigious red clay tennis tournament in the world after the French Open, with the men's competition being an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, and the women's...
, before falling to World No. 1 Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
in a controversial match 1–6, 0–6 in the third round. Following another third round exit at the Madrid Masters
Madrid Masters
There are two sporting events named the Madrid Masters:*Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open — a men's and women's tennis tournament*Madrid Masters...
against Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
, Söderling next competed at the ARAG World Team Cup in Düsseldorf, as part of the Swedish contingent. Although Sweden did not win, Söderling defeated Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon is a French professional tennis player and former world no. 6. He is a nine-time winner on the ATP World Tour...
and Rainer Schüttler
Rainer Schüttler
Rainer Schüttler is a German professional tennis player, ranked World No. 113 in the ATP rankings. He is the last German player who reached a final in a grand slam tournament....
, the latter 6–0, 6–0.
At the 2009 French Open
2009 French Open
The 2009 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 108th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year...
, Söderling, seeded 23, reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time after defeating Kevin Kim
Kevin Kim
- External links :* *...
, Denis Istomin
Denis Istomin
Denis Istomin is a professional Uzbek tennis player. His career high rank is #39, achieved on August 30, 2010. He is coached by his mother.- 2006 :...
, and David Ferrer
David Ferrer
David Ferrer Ern is a Spanish professional tennis player who lives in Valencia, Spain who is currently no. 5 in the ATP Rankings and the second-highest ranked Spaniard behind world no. 2 Rafael Nadal. He turned professional in 2000...
. This set up a match with four-time defending champion Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
. He scored the biggest upset of the year beating Nadal and ending his record 31-match winning streak at Roland Garros. Women's tennis legend Martina Navratilova described the match as one of the greatest upsets in tennis history. His 6–2, 6–7(2), 6–4, 7–6(2) victory over the reigning World No. 1 made Söderling the first and, as of , only person to beat Nadal in French Open, and also only person to beat Nadal in a best of five-set match on clay. Two days later, facing number 10 seed and two-time semifinalist Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Vladimirovich Davydenko is a Ukrainian-Russian tennis player. Davydenko's best result in a Grand Slam tournament has been reaching the semifinals, which he has done on four occasions: twice each at the French Open and the U.S. Open. His biggest achievement to date was winning the 2009 ATP...
, Söderling won 6–1, 6–3, 6–1 to reach his maiden major semifinal. Söderling made his first Grand Slam final, beating Fernando González
Fernando González
----Fernando Francisco González Ciuffardi is a professional tennis player from Chile. He is known for having one of the hardest forehands on the circuit. In Spanish he is called El Bombardero de La Reina and Mano de Piedra...
6–3, 7–5, 5–7, 4–6, 6–4 after having been down 0–30 and 1–4 in the final set, then reeling off the final five games of the set and match. Söderling lost the final to Federer 1–6, 6–7(1), 4–6; however, his ranking was elevated to 12th in the world, a career high.
Söderling was seeded 13th at the 2009 Wimbledon Championships
2009 Wimbledon Championships
The 2009 Wimbledon Championships took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, from Monday 22 June through to Sunday 5 July 2009...
, his next event. He reached the fourth round for the first time in his career, defeating Gilles Müller
Gilles Müller
Gilles Müller is a Luxembourgish professional tennis player. He was a US Open junior champion and is the most successful male tennis player in the history of his country...
, Marcel Granollers
Marcel Granollers
Marcel Granollers i Pujol is a professional tennis player from Spain who turned professional in 2003. He reached his highest singles ranking of World Number 33 on August 1, 2011, and his highest doubles ranking of World Number 5.-2006:Granollers made the first round of the Wimbledon tournament in...
, and Nicolás Almagro
Nicolás Almagro
Nicolas Almagro Sanchez Rolle is a professional Spanish tennis player, ranked 10 on the ATP World Tour.-2005:...
on the way there. Söderling set up another match with Federer, a five-time champion at Wimbledon; though Federer defeated him again, 6–4, 7–6(5), 7–6(5), Söderling was only broken once in the match.
After Wimbledon, Söderling returned to his native country to play at the 2009 Collector Swedish Open
2009 Swedish Open
The 2009 Collector Swedish Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 1st edition of the Collector Swedish Open. It took place in Båstad, Sweden, from July 4 through July 11, 2009 for Women's and from July 11 through July 19, 2009 for Men's.-Seeds:*Seedings are based on...
. As the number two seed, he received a first round bye. He defeated Kristof Vliegen
Kristof Vliegen
Kristof Vliegen is a former Belgian tennis player. He plays right-handed and he turned professional in 2001.He was a semi-finalist in Chennai in 2006 and in May of the same year, he reached the final of the ATP tournament in Munich, setting up the first ever all-Belgian men's singles final against...
6–2, 6–3 in the second round, and won his quarterfinal match against Nicolás Almagro
Nicolás Almagro
Nicolas Almagro Sanchez Rolle is a professional Spanish tennis player, ranked 10 on the ATP World Tour.-2005:...
7–5, 6–3. Söderling reached the final by defeating fellow countryman, Andreas Vinciguerra
Andreas Vinciguerra
Andreas Vinciguerra is a tennis player from Sweden, who turned professional in 1998. He was an impressive junior, winning the European junior championships and making the final of the junior Australian Open when he was 17, when he finished number 6 in the junior rankings.-Tennis career:Vinciguerra...
, 6–1, 7–6(6). There, he beat Juan Mónaco
Juan Mónaco
Juan Mónaco , nicknamed "Pico", is a male tennis player from Argentina. He reached a career-high ranking of World No. 14 on February 4, 2008. He is sponsored by Adidas and Yonex.-Biography:...
6–3, 7–6(4) for the title, becoming the first Swede since his coach Magnus Norman
Magnus Norman
Magnus Norman is a retired Swedish professional tennis player who is best known for being the runner-up at the French Open in 2000 and for briefly being ranked World Number 2. He won 12 singles titles, including a Tennis Masters Series tournament in Rome, Italy.Norman reached his career high...
(in 2000) to win the singles title at the Swedish Open. This was Söderling's first outdoor title, as well as his first title on a surface other than indoor hardcourt. As a result of his win, Söderling moved up to 11th in the world.
Söderling then participated in the 2009 International German Open
2009 International German Open
The 2009 International German Open was a tennis tournament to played on outdoor red clay courts. It was the 102nd edition of the event known that year as the International German Open and was part of the ATP World Tour 500 series of the 2009 ATP World Tour...
but lost in the third round to Nicolás Almagro
Nicolás Almagro
Nicolas Almagro Sanchez Rolle is a professional Spanish tennis player, ranked 10 on the ATP World Tour.-2005:...
. This was Söderling's first loss to a player other than Federer since the Rome Masters
Rome Masters
The Italian Open is an annual tennis tournament held in Rome, Italy. It is the most prestigious red clay tennis tournament in the world after the French Open, with the men's competition being an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, and the women's...
in late April, where he lost to Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
.
Moving over to the U.S hardcourt season, Söderling started at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic
Legg Mason Tennis Classic
The Legg Mason Tennis Classic is an annual late-summer men's tennis tournament played in Washington, D.C. as part of the ATP Tour. It was first held in 1969. It was later known as the Sovran Bank Classic. . Originally an event of the Grand Prix Tennis Tour and part of the Grand Prix Championship...
but had to pull out in the quarterfinals due to an elbow injury which forced Söderling to withdraw from the 2009 Rogers Cup
2009 Rogers Cup
The 2009 Canada Masters was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 120th edition of the Canada Masters, and was part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 of the 2009 ATP World Tour, and of the Premier 5 of the 2009 WTA Tour...
as well. Returning to the scene at 2009 Cincinnati Masters, he lost in the first round to Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Glynn Hewitt born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1.In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20...
.
Söderling was seeded No.12 at the 2009 US Open
2009 US Open (tennis)
The 2009 US Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts, held from August 31 to September 14, 2009 in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows, New York City, United States. Originally, it was scheduled to end with the mens' singles final match on Sunday,...
and advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time at Flushing Meadows after defeating notable opponents such as Albert Montañés
Álbert Montañés
Albert Montañés Roca is a professional tennis player from Spain.He first entered the top-100 in 2001 and has been in the top-100 for all but 20 weeks since then...
, Marcel Granollers
Marcel Granollers
Marcel Granollers i Pujol is a professional tennis player from Spain who turned professional in 2003. He reached his highest singles ranking of World Number 33 on August 1, 2011, and his highest doubles ranking of World Number 5.-2006:Granollers made the first round of the Wimbledon tournament in...
, in form American No.22 seed Sam Querrey
Sam Querrey
Sam Austin Querrey is a professional American tennis player from Thousand Oaks, California currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada. As of August 2010, he is the fourth-highest ranked American. His career high rank was #17, achieved on January 31, 2011. His height allows him to play with a strong...
and No.8 seed Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Vladimirovich Davydenko is a Ukrainian-Russian tennis player. Davydenko's best result in a Grand Slam tournament has been reaching the semifinals, which he has done on four occasions: twice each at the French Open and the U.S. Open. His biggest achievement to date was winning the 2009 ATP...
. En route to the quarterfinals, Söderling had a bit of luck on the fact that two of his opponents retired, including the Russian, who retired when Söderling led 7–5, 3–6, 6–2. Söderling went on to face five-time defending champion and No.1 seed Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
for the fourth time this year (three of them in a Grand Slam event). Söderling was defeated by Federer 0–6, 3–6, 7–6(6), 6–7(6). This was the second time in the pair's 12 meetings that Söderling took a set against Federer.
In Davis Cup Playoffs, he helped a 3–2 win over Romania and a chance for Sweden to compete in the 2010 Davis Cup by clinching a 7–5, 6–1, 6–0 victory over world #28 Victor Hănescu
Victor Hanescu
Victor Hănescu is a Romanian tennis player. He achieved his career high rank of no. 26 on July 6, 2009.- Professional career :...
.
After US Open, he reached the semifinals in both 2009 Malaysian Open and 2009 China Open
2009 China Open (tennis)
The 2009 China Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 11th edition of the China Open, and was part of the ATP 500 Series of the 2009 ATP Tour, and of the Premier Series of the 2009 WTA Tour...
before the Shanghai Masters
Shanghai Masters (tennis)
The Shanghai Masters is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 of the Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour. It is held annually in October at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena in Shanghai, People's...
where he officially made it into the top 10 for the first time, notably beating fifth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6–3, 6–3. However, he was upset in the quarterfinals by Feliciano López
Feliciano López
Feliciano López Diaz-Guerra is a Spanish professional male tennis player. He was born in Toledo and now lives in the Spanish capital Madrid....
6–7(4), 3–6. Söderling was the No. 1 seed at the Stockholm Open
Stockholm Open
The If Stockholm Open is a tennis event on the ATP Tour held in Stockholm, Sweden in the end of October or beginning of November each year. The organizer of the tournament is The Royal Lawn Tennis Club of Stockholm....
but due to an elbow injury had to retire in the semifinals. Though not a serious injury, Söderling retired from the 2009 Valencia Open 500
2009 Valencia Open 500
The 2009 Valencia Open 500 was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 15th edition of the Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana, and was part of the 500 Series of the 2009 ATP Tour...
tournament as well. At the moment no.9 on the ATP Race, Söderling needed a big performance in 2009 BNP Paribas Masters
2009 BNP Paribas Masters
The 2009 Paris Masters was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 35th edition of the Paris Masters, and was part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 of the 2009 ATP Tour...
to reach the ATP World Tour Finals. He started strong against Ivo Karlović
Ivo Karlovic
Ivo Karlović is a Croatian tennis player. He has won four ATP singles titles: three in 2007 and one in 2008. Karlović is the tallest player ever on the ATP Tour at 208 cm . He is a serve-and-volleyer, Karlovic holds the fastest serve recorded in professional tennis, measured at 251 km/h ...
, winning in straight sets, 6–4, 7–6(6), and beat sixth seed Davydenko in the third round, 6–3, 3–6, 6–4. Söderling lost his chance of qualifying to the ATP World Tour Finals when No. 3 seed Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
was too strong in the quarterfinals and won in three sets, 6–4, 1–6, 6–3.
However, Söderling qualified as first reserve for the finals when American Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
withdrew due to an injury sustained in Shanghai. Söderling was drawn into a group comprising Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
, Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
and Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Vladimirovich Davydenko is a Ukrainian-Russian tennis player. Davydenko's best result in a Grand Slam tournament has been reaching the semifinals, which he has done on four occasions: twice each at the French Open and the U.S. Open. His biggest achievement to date was winning the 2009 ATP...
. He made an impressive start, beating Nadal in his first robin match 6–4 6–4. He followed that up with a 7–6(5) 6–1 win over Djokovic. He was then assured a place in the semi finals of this year-end championships. However, he lost to Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Davydenko
Nikolay Vladimirovich Davydenko is a Ukrainian-Russian tennis player. Davydenko's best result in a Grand Slam tournament has been reaching the semifinals, which he has done on four occasions: twice each at the French Open and the U.S. Open. His biggest achievement to date was winning the 2009 ATP...
6–7(4) 6–4 3–6 in his third and final round robin match. Despite this, he became the winner of his group (group B), and set up a semifinal clash with US Open champion Juan Martín del Potro
Juan Martin Del Potro
Juan Martín del Potro is an Argentine professional tennis player. Del Potro achieved a top-10 ranking by the Association of Tennis Professionals for the first time on October 6, 2008. In January 2010, he reached a career-high ranking of world no. 4...
who defeated him 6–7(1), 6–3, 7–6(3). Söderling finished the year ranked No. 8, a career best.
2010
2010 proved to be Söderlings most successful year to date. He reached no. 4 in the world(career best) and finished the year as a top 5 player. He repeated last years success at Roland Garros by reaching a second successive final and winning his first Masters 1000 crown.Söderling made his 2010 debut at the Capitala World Tennis Championship
Capitala World Tennis Championship
The World Tennis Championship is a singles-only, professional tennis exhibition tournament, played on outdoor hard courts...
, an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi. He started in the quarterfinals, defeating Stanislas Wawrinka
Stanislas Wawrinka
Stanislas Wawrinka is a Swiss professional tennis player. He also holds German citizenship as his father is German. His career ranking high is no. 9, achieved on 9 June 2008. He considers clay his best surface and his backhand his best shot...
, 7–6(4), 7–6(2). Söderling then came back from a set and break down to defeat Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
6–7(6), 7–6(1), 6–2. Although generally reported in the media as being the first time Söderling had defeated Federer in 13 attempts, as an exhibition it remains an unofficial match that does not count on record. Söderling faced Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
in the final, but was defeated 6–7(3), 5–7.
Söderling then headed to Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, India to participate in the 2010 Aircel Chennai Open
2010 Aircel Chennai Open
The 2010 Aircel Chennai Open is a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It is the 15th edition of the Chennai Open, and part of the 250 series of the 2010 ATP World Tour...
where he was the first seed but lost in the first round to American Robby Ginepri
Robby Ginepri
Robert Louis Ginepri is an American professional tennis player.-Early life:Robby Ginepri is of Luxembourgish ancestry....
.
Robin Söderling was seeded eighth but lost in the first round of the 2010 Australian Open
2010 Australian Open
The 2010 Australian Open was a tennis tournament that took place in Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 18 to 31 January. It was the 98th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year....
to unseeded Spaniard Marcel Granollers
Marcel Granollers
Marcel Granollers i Pujol is a professional tennis player from Spain who turned professional in 2003. He reached his highest singles ranking of World Number 33 on August 1, 2011, and his highest doubles ranking of World Number 5.-2006:Granollers made the first round of the Wimbledon tournament in...
7–5, 6–2, 4–6, 4–6, 2–6.
Söderling received a wildcard to the 2010 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
2010 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
The 2010 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 38th edition of the event known as the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, and was part of the ATP World Tour 500 series of the 2010 ATP World Tour...
and was seeded third. He won his first ATP match of the year defeating Florent Serra
Florent Serra
Florent Lucien Serra is a French male tennis player. A right-hander, he has won two ATP titles during his career and is coached by Pierre Cherret.-Early life and junior career:...
4–6, 6–4, 6–1 in the first round and went on to win the tournament, when, leading 6–4, 2–0 against Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Mikhailovich Youzhny , is a professional Russian tennis player, noted for his consistency and all-court play style. He has been coached by Boris Sobkin for 17 years....
, Youzhny retired with a hamstring injury, becoming Söderling's biggest tournament win (in terms of point size) until he won the Paris Masters later the same year.
Söderling was the first seed at the 2010 Open 13
2010 Open 13
The 2010 Open 13 is a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It's the 17th edition of the Open 13, and is part of the International Series of the 2010 ATP World Tour...
in Marseille but lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra is a French professional tennis player. He is a prolific doubles player with three Grand Slam championships, and has also had success in singles.-Life and career:...
6–7(2), 4–6. He won both his singles ties against Argentina in 2010 Davis Cup
2010 Davis Cup
The 2010 Davis Cup was the 99th edition of the most important annual tournament among national teams in men's tennis worldwide...
, though Sweden lost eventually 3–2. Söderling was seeded sixth at the 2010 BNP Paribas Open
2010 BNP Paribas Open
The 2010 BNP Paribas Open was a tennis tournament played at Indian Wells, California in March 2010. It was the 36th edition of the event, known this year as the BNP Paribas Open, and is classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2010 ATP World Tour and a Premier Mandatory event on...
, losing in the semifinals to seventh seed Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
after a three-set match, 4–6, 6–3, 3–6. Seeded fifth in the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open
2010 Sony Ericsson Open
The 2010 Sony Ericsson Open , was a tennis tournament for men and women held from March 22 to April 4, 2010. It was the 26th edition of the Miami Masters event and is played on outdoor hard courts at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne, Florida, located near Miami...
, Söderling was once again eliminated in the semifinals, this time by Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. His most notable achievements are reaching the final of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, and the semifinals of the 2010 French Open. He defeated the Croatian player Ivan Ljubičić in five sets to win the Paris Masters in 2005...
2–6, 2–6.
After good results in the U.S, Robin returned to Europe for the clay court season but had to pull out of 2010 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters
2010 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters
The 2010 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, a tennis tournament for male professional players, was played from April 10 through April 18, 2010, on outdoor clay courts. It was the 104th edition of the annual Monte Carlo Masters tournament, which is sponsored by Rolex for the second time...
due to an overstrained knee. His clay court season got under way at the 2010 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell
2010 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell
The 2010 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 58th edition of the event known this year as the Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell, and was part of the ATP World Tour 500 series of the 2010 ATP World Tour...
where he reached the final after impressive victories over the likes of Juan Ignacio Chela
Juan Ignacio Chela
Juan Ignacio Chela is a professional male tennis player from Argentina. Like most Argentine players he is comfortable on Clay courts and owns all six of his career titles on the surface...
, Feliciano López
Feliciano López
Feliciano López Diaz-Guerra is a Spanish professional male tennis player. He was born in Toledo and now lives in the Spanish capital Madrid....
, Eduardo Schwank
Eduardo Schwank
Eduardo Jonatan Schwank is a professional tennis player from Argentina on the ATP Tour. He is currently coached by Javier Nalbandian, the brother of David Nalbandian....
and Thiemo de Bakker
Thiemo de Bakker
Thiemo de Bakker is a Dutch tennis player, who is currently ranked 99th in the world, and is the second ranked Dutch tennis player...
. He fell to fifth seed Fernando Verdasco
Fernando Verdasco
Fernando Verdasco Carmona is a professional tennis player. He is currently ranked no. 22 in the world. Verdasco started playing tennis at four years of age and had a full-time coach when he was eight...
in three sets.
Söderling had a dip in form after poor results in both 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
The 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia was a tennis tournament, being played on outdoor clay courts at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy. It was the 67th edition of the event and was classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2010 ATP World Tour and a Premier 5 event on the 2010 WTA Tour...
and 2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open
2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open
The 2010 Madrid Masters was played on outdoor clay courts at the Park Manzanares in Madrid, Spain from May 7 – May 16. It was the 9th edition of the event on the ATP and 2nd on the WTA...
winning just one match against Paolo Lorenzi
Paolo Lorenzi
Paolo Lorenzi is an Italian professional tennis player. Lorenzi competes on the ATP Challenger Tour and the ATP World Tour, both in singles and doubles. He reached his highest ATP singles ranking, No. 83, on November 9, 2009, and his highest ATP doubles ranking, No. 241, on January 12, 2009...
in Rome. His final tournament before Roland Garros was 2010 Open de Nice Côte d'Azur where he was the first seed. There, after receiving bye in the first round, he fell in the second round as Olivier Rochus
Olivier Rochus
Olivier Rochus is a Belgian tennis player. He was born in Namur, Belgium, and currently resides in Auvelais, Belgium.-Career:...
upset the Swede 6–2, 4–6, 4–6.
Söderling was seeded 5th at the 2010 French Open
2010 French Open
The 2010 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 109th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year...
where he defeated Federer for the first time in his career in a tour-level match. Söderling's victory snapped Federer's streak of 24 consecutive semifinal appearances in Grand Slam tournaments and marked the second consecutive year that Söderling defeated the defending French Open champion. In the semifinals, he defeated the number 15 seed Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. His most notable achievements are reaching the final of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, and the semifinals of the 2010 French Open. He defeated the Croatian player Ivan Ljubičić in five sets to win the Paris Masters in 2005...
6–3, 3–6, 5–7, 6–3, 6–3 to reach his second consecutive French Open final. By this win, Söderling guaranteed himself a career-high ranking of 6. Söderling faced Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
in the final and could not stop the Spaniard as he fell 4–6, 2–6, 4–6.
After another successful run at Roland Garros, Söderling entered the 2010 Wimbledon Championships
2010 Wimbledon Championships
The 2010 Wimbledon Championships took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. The tournament ran from Monday 21 June until Sunday 4 July 2010. It was the 124th staging of the Wimbledon Championships, and the third Grand...
as the sixth seed where he lost, in the quarterfinals, to eventual champion Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
6–3, 3–6, 6–7(4), 1–6. Despite the loss, he guaranteed himself a career-high world number 5 ranking for the first time.
Returning to his native country for the first time since the Davis Cup tie in March, Söderling was seeded top at the 2010 Swedish Open
2010 Swedish Open – Men's Singles
Robin Söderling was the defending champion, but he lost to Nicolás Almagro in the final 5–7, 6–3, 2–6.-Seeds:The top four seeds receive a bye into the second round.# Robin Söderling # Fernando Verdasco ...
; a tournament that he won the previous year. He lost in the final against Nicolás Almagro
Nicolás Almagro
Nicolas Almagro Sanchez Rolle is a professional Spanish tennis player, ranked 10 on the ATP World Tour.-2005:...
in the final, 5–7, 6–3, 2–6.
After a three week hiatus from competition, Söderling started off his U.S hardcourt season with the ATP World Tour Masters 1000
ATP World Tour Masters 1000
The ATP World Tour Masters 1000 is a series of nine tennis tournaments that are part of the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, held annually throughout the year in Europe, North America and Asia...
event 2010 Rogers Cup where he was seeded fifth, but was defeated by Argentine David Nalbandian
David Nalbandian
David Pablo Nalbandian is an Argentine professional tennis player and former world no. 3. He was runner-up at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships and the winner of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005.-Biography:...
6–4, 4–6, 1–6 in the third round.
At the 2010 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters, Söderling was again the fifth seed and received a bye into the second round where he defeated Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Glynn Hewitt born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1.In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20...
4–6, 6–3, 7–5. He lost in the third round to Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
.
Entering the final Grand Slam event of the year, Söderling was seeded 5th at the 2010 US Open
2010 US Open – Men's Singles
Juan Martín del Potro was the defending champion, but chose not to participate this year, after undergoing a wrist operation in May and only starting to practice again in August...
. He defeated qualifier Andreas Haider-Maurer
Andreas Haider-Maurer
Andreas Haider-Maurer is an Austrian professional tennis player. In the first round of 2010 US Open he forced world no. 5 Robin Söderling to a fifth set before losing the match....
in a tough five set opening round. In the second round, Söderling beat Taylor Dent
Taylor Dent
Taylor Phillip Dent is a retired professional tennis player from the United States.-Early career and back injury:He won 4 ATP singles titles during his career: Newport , Bangkok , Memphis , and Moscow , and reached the finals of three other events on tour...
with ease 6–2, 6–2, 6–4. He then played Thiemo de Bakker
Thiemo de Bakker
Thiemo de Bakker is a Dutch tennis player, who is currently ranked 99th in the world, and is the second ranked Dutch tennis player...
in the third round, and won comfortably in straight sets 6–2, 6–3, 6–3. He came trough Albert Montañés
Álbert Montañés
Albert Montañés Roca is a professional tennis player from Spain.He first entered the top-100 in 2001 and has been in the top-100 for all but 20 weeks since then...
in four sets to set up a quarterfinal showdown with Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
, but could not stop the Swiss maestro as he lost 4–6, 4–6, 5–7 in tough conditions. He then went back to Sweden to compete in the 2010 Davis Cup
2010 Davis Cup
The 2010 Davis Cup was the 99th edition of the most important annual tournament among national teams in men's tennis worldwide...
, where Sweden retained their World Group status as they outmatched Italy.
Traveling to Asia for the Asian swing, Söderling had three quarterfinal showings. First at the 2010 Proton Malaysian Open
2010 Proton Malaysian Open
The 2010 Malaysian Open was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the second edition of the Proton Malaysian Open, and was classified as an ATP World Tour 250 Series of the 2010 ATP World Tour...
in Kuala Lumpur, and then at the 2010 China Open
2010 China Open (tennis)
The 2010 China Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 12th edition of the China Open, and is part of the ATP 500 Series of the 2010 ATP World Tour, and of the Premier Series of the 2010 WTA Tour...
in Beijing. He competed in Shanghai for the 2010 Shanghai Rolex Masters 1000
2010 Shanghai Rolex Masters 1000 – Singles
Nikolay Davydenko was the defending champion, but lost in the second round to Mischa Zverev.Andy Murray won this tournament, by beating Roger Federer 6–3, 6–2 in the final.-Seeds:The top eight seeds receive a bye into the second round....
, where he maintained his concistency beating Janko Tipsarević
Janko Tipsarevic
Janko Tipsarević is a Serbian tennis player. His career-high ranking is No. 9, achieved on 14 November 2011. He is the 117th player in history to crack the top 10....
6–3, 7–6(5), and David Ferrer
David Ferrer
David Ferrer Ern is a Spanish professional tennis player who lives in Valencia, Spain who is currently no. 5 in the ATP Rankings and the second-highest ranked Spaniard behind world no. 2 Rafael Nadal. He turned professional in 2000...
7–5, 6–4. He lost to Federer in the quarterfinals 1–6, 1–6.
Back in Stockholm, competing at the 2010 If Stockholm Open
2010 If Stockholm Open
The 2010 If Stockholm Open was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 42nd edition of the event known this year as the If Stockholm Open, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 Series of the 2010 ATP World Tour...
, he reached the quarterfinals after bowing out to eventual runner up Florian Mayer
Florian Mayer
Florian Mayer is a German professional tennis player. He plays on both the ATP Tour and the Challenger Tour. He has won nine Challenger events, which has helped him stay in the top 50 on the rankings....
. Though a disappointing week for the swede, he ensured his place in the ATP World Tour Finals as he became the 5th player to qualify.
After a semifinal spot in Valencia, Söderling traveled to Paris to compete at the 2010 BNP Paribas Masters
2010 BNP Paribas Masters
The 2010 BNP Paribas Masters was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 36th edition of the tournament known that year as the BNP Paribas Masters after the sponsor BNP Paribas. It was part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 of the 2010 ATP World Tour. It was held at the Palais...
. Receiving a bye to the 2nd round, Söderling defeated Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon is a French professional tennis player and former world no. 6. He is a nine-time winner on the ATP World Tour...
6–4, 6–0. Up next was Stanislas Wawrinka
Stanislas Wawrinka
Stanislas Wawrinka is a Swiss professional tennis player. He also holds German citizenship as his father is German. His career ranking high is no. 9, achieved on 9 June 2008. He considers clay his best surface and his backhand his best shot...
, 7–6(3), 6–3. In the quarterfinals, Söderling won over Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
, also in straight sets 7–5, 6–4. Söderling then saved three match points in beating Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra is a French professional tennis player. He is a prolific doubles player with three Grand Slam championships, and has also had success in singles.-Life and career:...
to reach his first Masters 1000 final, and won the championship by defeating Gaël Monfils
Gaël Monfils
Gaël Sébastien Monfils is a French professional tennis player. he was the highest-ranked French tennis player, ranked no. 7 in the world ATP rankings. He was the runner-up at the Paris Masters in 2009 and 2010 and a semifinalist at the 2008 French Open.-2002:In 2002, Monfils finished 24th at the...
(who had also saved match points in his semi-final against Roger Federer) in the final 6–1, 7–6(1). He became the first Swedish player to win Paris since Thomas Enqvist
Thomas Enqvist
Thomas Karl Johan Enqvist is a former professional tennis player from Sweden.He was quickly touted as the only Swede who could follow in the footsteps of Stefan Edberg and Björn Borg, and was ranked as high as No. 4 on the ATP Rankings.Enqvist was a force on the Swedish Davis Cup team...
in 1996, and the first Swedish winner of a Masters 1000 since Enqvist won Cincinnati in 2000. With the win, he ensured a career high ranking of No.4 by overtaking Andy Murray.
Söderling's final tournament of the year was at the 2010 ATP World Tour Finals
2010 ATP World Tour Finals
The 2010 ATP World Tour Finals was held at the O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom between November 21 and November 28, 2010...
where he failed to progress through the group stage, winning one match against David Ferrer
David Ferrer
David Ferrer Ern is a Spanish professional tennis player who lives in Valencia, Spain who is currently no. 5 in the ATP Rankings and the second-highest ranked Spaniard behind world no. 2 Rafael Nadal. He turned professional in 2000...
and losing to Andy Murray and Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
. He finished the year as world no.5, a career best.
Söderling and coach Magnus Norman
Magnus Norman
Magnus Norman is a retired Swedish professional tennis player who is best known for being the runner-up at the French Open in 2000 and for briefly being ranked World Number 2. He won 12 singles titles, including a Tennis Masters Series tournament in Rome, Italy.Norman reached his career high...
decided on 1 December 2010 that they will not continue their collaboration.
Robin Söderling announced in early December 2010 that his new coach was to be Claudio Pistolesi
Claudio Pistolesi
Claudio Pistolesi is a former professional Italian tennis player.Pistolesi's highest ATP singles ranking is 71st, which he reached on August 17, 1987. His career high in doubles was at 213 set at November 17, 1986....
.
2011
Starting 2011 with his new coach Claudio PistolesiClaudio Pistolesi
Claudio Pistolesi is a former professional Italian tennis player.Pistolesi's highest ATP singles ranking is 71st, which he reached on August 17, 1987. His career high in doubles was at 213 set at November 17, 1986....
at his side, he finished third at the exhibition in Abu Dhabi
2011 Mubadala World Tennis Championship
The 2011 Mubadala World Tennis Championship was a non-ATP affiliated exhibition tournament. World's top players were competing in the knock-out event, which has prize money of $250,000 to the winner. The event was held at the Abu Dhabi International Tennis Complex at the Zayed Sports City in Abu...
. Söderlings first ATP World Tour tournament of the year was Brisbane International
2011 Brisbane International
The 2011 Brisbane International was a joint ATP and WTA tennis tournament, played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 3rd edition of the tournament and took place at the Queensland Tennis Centre in Tennyson, Brisbane. It was held from 2 to 9 January...
where he defeated Ryan Harrison, Michael Berrer
Michael Berrer
Michael Berrer is a German professional tennis player. He reached his career high in singles with No. 42 on May 2010 and his high in doubles in March 2009 with No...
, Matthew Ebden
Matthew Ebden
Matthew Ebden is an Australian professional tennis player who is currently ranked the World No. 80, making him the second highest ranked Australian behind Bernard Tomic...
and Radek Štěpánek
Radek Štepánek
Radek Štěpánek is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic.-Career:Štěpánek turned professional in 1997. He started on tour as a doubles specialist, winning 12 ATP titles. Since 2002, Štěpánek has focused on being a better singles player while still playing top-level doubles...
en route to the final. Söderling went on to win the tournament without dropping a set and only broken once, winning against Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
6–3, 7–5 in the final. This elevated his ranking to No. 4 in the world, improving his seeding for the Australian Open.
Söderling reached the fourth round at the 2011 Australian Open
2011 Australian Open
The 2011 Australian Open was a tennis tournament featuring six different competitions, and part of the 2011 ATP World Tour, the 2011 WTA Tour, ITF Junior Tour and the NEC Tour, as tournaments for professional, junior and wheelchair players were held...
, a career best. As the fourth seed, he made his way to that without dropping a set, before being defeated in five sets by the unseeded Alexandr Dolgopolov.
Returning to Europe, he competed at the 2011 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
2011 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
The 2011 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 38th edition of the event known as the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, and was part of the ATP World Tour 500 series of the 2011 ATP World Tour...
in Rotterdam. As the first seed and defending champion, he successfully defended his title by defeating Robin Haase
Robin Haase
Robin Haase is a Dutch tennis player. Haase is currently the highest-ranked Dutch player, with his career high of No. 41 coming on 29 August 2011. He is endorsed by Head and SNS Reaal.-Career:...
6–3, 6–2, Philipp Kohlschreiber
Philipp Kohlschreiber
Philipp Kohlschreiber is a tennis player from Germany, who turned professional in 2001. The right-hander has won six doubles and three singles titles. He reached his highest singles ATP-ranking on 28 September 2009, when he achieved a ranking of World No. 22...
6–3, 5–7, 7–6(7), Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Youzhny
Mikhail Mikhailovich Youzhny , is a professional Russian tennis player, noted for his consistency and all-court play style. He has been coached by Boris Sobkin for 17 years....
6–4, 7–6(5), Viktor Troicki
Viktor Troicki
Viktor Troicki is a Serbian professional tennis player. He has Serb and Russian ethnic roots. His paternal grandparents emigrated from Tver and Rostov-on-Don to Serbia in 1917. His career-high ranking is no. 12, achieved on 6 June 2011. He won his first ATP singles title at the 2010 Kremlin Cup,...
7–5, 6–4 and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final 6–3, 3–6, 6–3. This was Söderling's second title of the year and eighth of his career. This also marked the first time he defended a title.
After success in Rotterdam, he traveled to Marseille for the 2011 Open 13
2011 Open 13
The 2011 Open 13 was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 18th edition of the Open 13, and was part of the International Series of the 2011 ATP World Tour...
. As the first seed, he defeated Nicolas Mahut
Nicolas Mahut
Nicolas Pierre Armand Mahut is a French tennis player. Mahut is right-handed and has previously won the Orange Bowl in 1999, becoming professional in 2000. He is a good serve and volleyer and a doubles expert, having won many tournaments with his doubles partner Julien Benneteau. His career high...
, Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra is a French professional tennis player. He is a prolific doubles player with three Grand Slam championships, and has also had success in singles.-Life and career:...
and Dmitry Tursunov
Dmitry Tursunov
Dmitry Igorevich Tursunov is a Russian professional male tennis player. He was 12 years old when he came to the United States to train and further his prospects of becoming a professional player....
en route to a second final in two weeks. There he faced Marin Čilić
Marin Cilic
Marin Čilić , is a Croatian professional tennis player. His career high ATP ranking is no. 9, achieved on 22 February 2010, following his best-ever performance at a Grand Slam, reaching the semi-finals in the 2010 Australian Open...
and after losing the first set, he came back, eventually winning 6–7(8), 6–3, 6–3. This was Söderling's third title of the year and ninth of his career.
After helping Sweden win the Davis Cup tie against Russia, Söderling had a dip in form spanning from early March to the beginning of May, only getting past the third round once in four events. Due to the lack of form, Söderling opted to split with his coach Claudio Pistolesi, only five months in on the partnership. Days later, Fredrik Rosengren was appointed new coach of Söderling.
At the 2011 Mutua Madrid Open
2011 Mutua Madrid Open
The 2011 Madrid Masters was played on outdoor clay courts at the Park Manzanares in Madrid, Spain from April 30 – May 8. It was the 10th edition of the event on the ATP and 3rd on the WTA...
, Soderling saw off Santiago Giraldo
Santiago Giraldo
Santiago Giraldo Salazar is a Colombian male tennis player from Pereira in Colombia. He plays on the ATP tour and represents Colombia in the Davis Cup competition.-ATP Tour:...
and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to set up a quarterfinal matchup with Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
which he lost 7–6(2) 6–4.
In the first round of the 2011 Rome Masters, Soderling survived a scare as he saved 3 match points en route to defeating Fernando Verdasco
Fernando Verdasco
Fernando Verdasco Carmona is a professional tennis player. He is currently ranked no. 22 in the world. Verdasco started playing tennis at four years of age and had a full-time coach when he was eight...
2–6 7–5 6–4. After winning 6–3, 3–6, 6–4 against Nicolas Almagro
Nicolás Almagro
Nicolas Almagro Sanchez Rolle is a professional Spanish tennis player, ranked 10 on the ATP World Tour.-2005:...
, he faced Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
in the quarterfinals which he lost 6–3, 6–0.
At the 2011 French Open
2011 French Open
The 2011 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 110th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year...
, Soderling (seeded fifth) beat Ryan Harrison in the first round 6–1, 6–7 (5–7), 6–3, 7–5. Harrison was up 5–4 in the fourth set, within one game of forcing a fifth and deciding set, but ceded the final three games, the fourth set, and ultimately the match to Söderling. Söderling then plowed through Albert Ramos, Leonardo Mayer
Leonardo Mayer
Leonardo Martin Mayer is an Argentine professional tennis player.Mayer achieved a singles career high of world no. 51 on June 7, 2010. His career high in doubles was world no. 94 on March 1, 2010.http://www.itftennis.com/mens/players/player.asp?player=100049039 He is coached by Emiliano Redondi...
and Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon is a French professional tennis player and former world no. 6. He is a nine-time winner on the ATP World Tour...
without losing a set to land himself a quarterfinal showdown with world no 1 Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
. Söderling's hopes of repeating his 2009 upset of the Spaniard proved futile, as he was swept off the course in straight sets.
At the 2011 Wimbledon Championships
2011 Wimbledon Championships
The 2011 Wimbledon Championships took place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, England, from 20 June to 3 July 2011. It was the 125th edition of the championships, and the third Grand Slam tournament of the year. It was played on grass courts and was part of the...
, Söderling (seeded fifth) defeated Philipp Petzschner
Philipp Petzschner
Philipp Petzschner is a professional German tennis player. He is known for his hard-hitting and incredible bursts of speed around the court, and now for controversy in the US Open Men's Doubles Final which he won partnered with Jurgen Melzer against the Polish team of Fystenberg/Matkowski...
of Germany in the first round, coming up against one-time Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Glynn Hewitt born 24 February 1981) is an Australian professional tennis player and former world no. 1.In 2000, Hewitt had won ATP titles on all three major surfaces and reached one final on carpet. By 2001, he became the youngest male ever to be ranked no. 1 at the age of 20...
in the second. Hewitt won the first two sets (7–6, 6–3), but Söderling fought back, snatched a couple of well-timed service breaks, ultimately going through to the third round after winning the last three sets 7–5, 6–4, 6–4. In the third round, however, Robin Söderling, troubled by a bad stomach, lost to Bernard Tomic
Bernard Tomic
Bernard Tomic is an Australian professional tennis player. As of 24 October 2011, Tomic is ranked the World No. 41, making him the highest ranked Australian male tennis player and the youngest player in the top 100...
of Australia 1–6, 4–6, 5–7.
After Wimbledon, Söderling announced that he would not take part in Sweden's Davis Cup fixture against reigning champions Serbia, preparing instead for the 2011 Swedish Open
2011 Swedish Open
The 2011 Swedish Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts part of the ATP World Tour 250 Series of the 2011 ATP World Tour and 2011 WTA Tour. It took place in Båstad, Sweden, from July 4 through July 10, 2011 for Women's and from July 11 through July 17, 2011 for Men's...
. He did not drop a single set in the entire tournament. En route defeating world no. 8 Tomas Berdych
Tomáš Berdych
Tomáš Berdych is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. His most notable achievements are reaching the final of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, and the semifinals of the 2010 French Open. He defeated the Croatian player Ivan Ljubičić in five sets to win the Paris Masters in 2005...
in the semifinal 6–1, 6–0, and went on to defeat David Ferrer
David Ferrer
David Ferrer Ern is a Spanish professional tennis player who lives in Valencia, Spain who is currently no. 5 in the ATP Rankings and the second-highest ranked Spaniard behind world no. 2 Rafael Nadal. He turned professional in 2000...
in the final 6–2, 6–2, bagging his fourth title of the year.
Due to a wrist injury, Söderling was forced to withdraw from the back-to-back hard court Masters tournaments, in Montreal and Cincinnati. He was also diagnosed with mononucleosis, an illness that forced him to withdraw from the U.S. Open at the last minute. He had been slated to play Louk Sorensen
Louk Sorensen
Louk Sorensen is a professional tennis player from Ireland.Sorensen is the first player representing Ireland to win a Grand Slam event main draw match in the Open Era. His father, Sean, was the first Irishman to play a Grand Slam main draw match in the Open Era, going out in the first round of...
of Ireland in the first round. With the illness continuing to hamper his progress, he decided to take yet more time out, withdrawing from the Shanghai Masters.
Playing style and equipment
Söderling's type of game has been described as "brutal". He is known for his competitive drive and powerful game, hitting accurate hard ground strokes. His serve is heavy and precise, capable of generating a speed of over 225 km/h (140 mph). He can overpower most of his opponents and possesses a very good return game. His two-handed backhand is solid and dependable, while the forehand is regarded as one of the most lethal in today's game. Most of his success has come on faster surfaces (hard courts and indoor carpet), although his best Grand Slam results have occurred at the French Open; this is thought to be due to the heavy conditions and slowness of the clay which allow him more time to set up his powerful shots. Many people have praised Söderling for his game, saying he is a Grand Slam contender and stable top tenner, though his mental strength and lack of consistency in his game have been his weaknesses. But in recent years, his mental strength has improved considerably and this has raised the consistency of his game; much of this has been attributed to the influence of his previous coach, former world #2 and 2000 French Open finalist Magnus NormanMagnus Norman
Magnus Norman is a retired Swedish professional tennis player who is best known for being the runner-up at the French Open in 2000 and for briefly being ranked World Number 2. He won 12 singles titles, including a Tennis Masters Series tournament in Rome, Italy.Norman reached his career high...
. Söderling wears Lotto
Lotto Sport Italia
Lotto Sport Italia is an Italian sports apparel manufacturer. Its products are now distributed in more than 60 countries.-History:Lotto was established in 1973 by the Caberlotto family in Montebelluna, northern Italy, the world centre of footwear manufacturing. In June 1973, Lotto made its debut...
clothing and recently switched from the Head
Head (company)
Head N.V. is a sports equipment and clothing company, known mainly for their alpine skis and tennis racquets. Founded as a ski company in Baltimore, Maryland, the company is currently headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Kennelbach, Austria...
YOUTEK Radical Midplus racquet to the Head Youtek Prestige Midplus.