The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Rafael Nadal directs verbal volleys at Soderling

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Friday, Jul 06, 2007
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Rafael Nadal directs verbal volleys at Soderling

LONDON: Who could blame Rafael Nadal and Robin Soderling for being a bit sick and tired of each other and, well, Wimbledon as a whole?

They did, after all, spend an awful lot of time trying to finish their third-round match, until the No.2-seeded Nadal finally won 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(7), 4-6, 7-5, more than 90 hours after the pair first stepped on Court 1 to warm up.

Still, the on-court animosity and verbal volleys traded afterward were hardly in keeping with the genteel setting. The usually affable Nadal, in particular, had harsh words for Soderling and questioned the tournament organisers.

“He’s a strange guy,” Nadal said.

“I’ve said ‘hi’ to him at least seven times since I’ve been on the tour and he’s never answered back. I asked other players about it. It doesn’t only happen to me.”

Critical

Nadal was critical of the way Soderling appeared unconcerned when the three-time French Open champion fell to the turf at one point.

He also didn’t like the way Soderling pumped a fist instead of offering the customary “sorry about that” wave of a hand after winning a point with the help of a favourable net cord.

Complaining mood

“He must have been in his complaining mood today,” the 28th-seeded Soderling said. “If my opponent gets a lucky shot and he doesn’t say, ‘I’m sorry,’ I don’t care. For me, it’s OK. Why should I say I’m sorry when it’s the happiest moment of my life?”

The last straw for Nadal: what he considered a half-hearted handshake at the net when their marathon ended. “After four days,” Nadal said, “that’s not normal.”

Told of Nadal’s comments, Soderling responded: “I’d probably say the same, but I won’t do that. I keep it to myself.”

On Monday, Soderling was upset that Nadal persisted in his slow, between-point rituals that many players have complained about, including Andre Agassi at last year’s Wimbledon.

A message

With Nadal ready to serve the opening game of the fifth set, Soderling walked deliberately to the sideline to change rackets — sending a message.

When Soderling returned to the baseline, Nadal stopped his service motion and held up the ball, as if to say, “ready now?” That’s when Soderling turned away from Nadal and tugged at the back of his shorts, mimicking one of the Spaniard’s habits and drawing guffaws from fans.

Sometimes, matches don’t resume immediately after rain stops because weather reports predict more precipitation on the way, but Nadal and Soderling were ushered out onto court for stints of eight and 11 minutes.

“That’s very tough for the players,” said Nadal, last year’s Wimbledon runner-up. “They don’t think very much about the players here, maybe.” — AP

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