I’m not usually a fan of three-set matches – I’d prefer some drama and some intrigue in my Grand Slam tennis.
But I was more than happy to see Rafael Nadal dispose of Robin Soderling in three sets, regaining the French Open championship and the No. 1 ranking in the world.
Rafa struggled badly last year – with injury and personal issues. There was so much talk that he might be done – that he couldn’t possibly sustain a long career with the way he plays. It was suggested that one of the great rivalries of our time – Federer vs. Nadal – was over.
Not so fast. Rafa looked fantastic at Roland Garros. He seems hungry, refreshed and on Sunday was purely delighted to be back on top.
Soderling is a good-verging-on-great player, knocking off Nadal last year and Federer this year. He seems to have grown up in recent years, but his introduction to many tennis fans, at Wimbledon in 2007, was unfortunate. He came off as a bad sport and mocked Nadal in a long, dragged out, rain-delayed match.
On Sunday, Soderling was gracious. As was Nadal. He praised Soderling in English, thanked the crowd in French then reverted to his native Spanish. For a kid who was uncomfortable a few years ago speaking publicly, he’s grown into a self-assured champion. He told John McEnroe (in English) how thrilled he was and was honest about the problems he faced last year.
Everything is right in the men’s tennis world. Nadal is back on his game. Federer – despite losing to Soderling – regained his form last year. Here’s to many more years of the best, classiest, rivalry we have going in sports.
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