Robin Soderling Interview - French Open, June 4

Robin Soderling Interview
French Open
Friday, June 4, 2010

Q. Is the type of match the old Robin should have lost, I think.
ROBIN SODERLING: What's the old Robin? What's the new Robin? I never understand. Of course I could have lost that match. It was very close. But today I won it, so I'm happy with that.

Q. How much better do you feel equipped to handle a Grand Slam final now having played this one here last year?
ROBIN SODERLING: We'll see on Sunday, but of course it feels better. You know, it's always it's always the most difficult one playing your first. In any tournament, first match is the most difficult one.
Of course it was tough for me last year playing my first Grand Slam final. Hopefully it will be a little bit easier this time.
Q. With Berdych, you have maybe a little too similar games. There was not much rally in the game. There was like fast points won, fast mistakes. Did you expect that kind of game? Was it the same when you played him previously in Miami or elsewhere?
ROBIN SODERLING: Yeah, he's tough to play. Today was really tough to really play my own game, because he didn't give me any time at all. The conditions were much quicker, and he was hitting the ball really hard and really flat.
So, again, yeah, it was tough to play today.

Q. Did you think that the quality of the match versus Nadal, you expect a similar match as the to last year's with Nadal, with more rally or more quality in the game than today's game?
ROBIN SODERLING: I mean, every match is different. Normally against Nadal the times I've played him before we had more rallies than if you compare to today.
As I said, every match is different. You never know what, how he's gonna play or if I play him. I mean, he's still playing against Melzer. So, I mean, conditions are changing a lot there, so we have to see on Sunday, I think.
Q. Since you played Rafa here last year, he's mentioned a few times or more it was implied that the knees were a problem or other things were bothering him. Has that bothered you that maybe that was some sort of excuse for his performance that day?
ROBIN SODERLING: No, I never thought about it. Well, I think he's definitely not the only player who has some problem with his body. I think we all have that from time to time. So I never really thought about it.
You know, I was very happy with the win and my run here last year. I still am. It doesn't matter who I played or who I beat or if he was injured or not.
Q. Two or three years ago if somebody had asked you what Grand Slam you think you'd do the best at, would you have said Roland Garros?
ROBIN SODERLING: Yeah, maybe. I think I can do well on any surface. There's no surface I don't like to play on, which is a good feeling, is very nice.
I think I play better and better on clay for every year. So I don't really have any favorite surface.

Q. Were you a little surprised and perhaps disappointed when you walked out to play at 1:00 and there were only about 2 or 300 people in the stadium?
ROBIN SODERLING: No. I didn't even notice.

Q. You didn't notice?
ROBIN SODERLING: No. Well, I was really focused on my match. No, it doesn't really matter. But I think at the end it was pretty full, eh?

Q. It was.
ROBIN SODERLING: Yeah.

Q. What was on your mind when you were down two sets to one?
ROBIN SODERLING: Well, yeah, it was not easy. I know, he was playing really well, and I really felt that I had some chances in the third set, you know. I had a few break points.
But he came up with some really good serves on the important moments. So it was tough, you know. I had a really tough time trying to handle his serve.
But, you know, it was still two sets to one, and I was telling myself I can still win this. But of course it's tough to be down like that.

Q. (Through French translation) good afternoon, Robin. You defeated Nadal when you played him. He hasn't yet finished. Do you think that you have a psychological edge if you are to play against him in the final?
ROBIN SODERLING: Well, we played many times. He beat me a lot of times, and I beat him a few times. So it was not the last match. You know, we played one or two times after that.
But of course it's always good to have beaten a player before. I know that I can beat him. I showed it.
But, again, you know, every match is a new match, and every match is different.

Q. Just going back to last year's experience again, what would you hope to do a little better? Perhaps start better in the final than you did last year? The nerves, you got used to the nerves now, what it's gonna be like now in the locker room beforehand.
ROBIN SODERLING: Yeah, of course, I didn't get off to a great start last year, which was really tough for me.
But, you know, it's gonna be a long match. It's best of five sets. You can always work your way into any matches in a Grand Slam.
Yeah, it's not gonna be easy whoever I play, but I feel pretty confident. I'm playing really good tennis right now, and I will enjoy it for sure.

Q. Obviously Magnus made it to the final here and didn't win. Would there be any extra sort of pleasure for you to win the final because he got that far and didn't quite make it all the way?
ROBIN SODERLING: Oh, well, of course I think the final is the one match you really want to win most of all, but not maybe because he lost in the final.
I think he'd be glad for me, and I would be very glad if I win on Sunday. It has nothing to do with that.

Q. You managed to win today with 63 unforced errors, so what does it mean? You had to take all the risks?
ROBIN SODERLING: Well, I said before, you know, you cannot there's someone sitting and writing down the unforced errors, and I think it's tough for anyone to say what's an unforced error and what's not.
So I don't really look at the statistics like that, you know. He put me under a lot of pressure, and it was tough today. You know, as I said, I couldn't really play my own game because he didn't give me any time.
That's why maybe I missed a little bit more than I wanted to.

Q. It's tough for any player to play their first Grand Slam final; hard to imagine what goes through your head when you get on a court in the final Sunday when you get on that big stage. Now that you've done it before, what really can you learn from that? And will it help you?
ROBIN SODERLING: Yeah, hopefully I won't be as nervous as I was last year, you know, playing that match. And not only the finals here last year, I think I played many big matches the last year against good players on big courts.
I learn from every one of those matches, and hopefully I will feel fine. And, you know, if I win it's great; but if I lose, you know, I will try my best, and hopefully it will be enough.

Q. Is that condition tougher for you than your last match against Federer? Definitely much warmer.
ROBIN SODERLING: Of course it's tougher when it's warmer, especially physically. But I think I can do well in any conditions.
But against Tomas, it was tough today because he was really fast and I wasn't really used to it. He hit the ball so hard and so flat, and then didn't give me any time at all. Today it was difficult.

Q. Sunday is much cooler than now.
ROBIN SODERLING: Yeah, we'll see. I think I can do well in any conditions. I don't really think about it that much.