Many Rafael Nadal fans watched in horror as their tennis star defeated by Robin Soderling in the fourth round today.Nadal’s unbeaten run at the French Open is finally over.
The four-time defending champion lost to Soderling 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 7-6 (2), ending his record 31-match winning streak at Roland Garros.
In the post-match press conference, Nadal said, "He didn't surprise me, because I know how he play, how dangerous he can be."
"I didn't play my best tennis. I didn't attack in not one moment. I play very short, and I make him very easy to play at this level."
"So when one player [is] bad, must lose. That's what happened today. I have to accept with the same calm when I win than when I lose."
"This is not a tragedy, losing here in Paris. It had to happen one day, and this is an excellent season for me."
On the crowd rooting for Soderling: "It's a shame. I mean, this tournament is so important, such a beautiful tournament for me. Well, that's the way it is. Maybe at one stage they supported Soderling more than me, and that was a bit sad."
"But I wish when I'm back they can support me a bit more in key moments."
On who might win the tournament now: "I don't know. Davydenko or Verdasco is there. Del Potro I think is there. We will see. Federer is the favorite, in my opinion."
Here's the video of Nadal at the press conference. For the complete transcript, read it here.
As for Soderling, I'm not going to comment about his devilish crap here in my blog. And for god sake, I've removed his picture.
(Via tennis.com; Images by Reuters, Bertrand Guay/AFP/Getty Images)
(Via tennis.com; Images by Reuters, Bertrand Guay/AFP/Getty Images)
