Robin Söderling facts for kids
Robin Söderling at the 2010 US Open
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| Full name | Robin Bo Carl Söderling |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  Sweden |
| Residence | Monte Carlo, Monaco |
| Born | 14 August 1984 Tibro, Sweden |
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) |
| Turned pro | 2001 |
| Retired | 2015 (last match July 2011) |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | US$10,423,124 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 310–170 (64.6% in ATP Tour and Grand Slam main draw matches, and in Davis Cup) |
| Career titles | 10 |
| Highest ranking | No. 4 (15 November 2010) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 4R (2011) |
| French Open | F (2009, 2010) |
| Wimbledon | QF (2010) |
| US Open | QF (2009, 2010) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | SF (2009) |
| Olympic Games | 1R (2004, 2008) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 33–43 |
| Career titles | 1 |
| Highest ranking | No. 109 (9 May 2009) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | 2R (2005) |
| US Open | 2R (2004, 2005) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | SF (2007) |
Robin Söderling (born 14 August 1984) is a Swedish former professional tennis player. He became famous for his powerful game. Robin reached a career-high world ranking of No. 4 in singles on 15 November 2010.
Some of his biggest achievements include reaching two finals at the French Open in 2009 and 2010. He also won an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title at the 2010 Paris Masters. Robin Söderling made history by being the first player to ever beat Rafael Nadal at the French Open. He played his last professional match when he was only 26 years old. This was because he got sick with mononucleosis.
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Robin Söderling's Tennis Journey
Robin Söderling started playing tennis when he was five years old. He began his international junior career in 1998 at age 14.
Junior Tennis Success
In 2000, Robin won four junior tournaments. The next year, 2001, he won three more junior titles. One of these was the important Orange Bowl tournament. He won it without losing a single set! In 2001, he finished the year ranked No. 4 in junior tennis. By 2002, he reached his highest junior ranking of No. 2 in the world for singles.
Starting His Professional Career (2001–2008)
Robin Söderling became a professional tennis player in 2001. He played his first ATP tournament in Stockholm, winning his first match. In 2002, he played more ATP tournaments and reached the second round of the US Open.
By 2003, Robin was playing on the main tour regularly. He reached the third round at Wimbledon. He also made it to an ATP final in Stockholm, showing he was a rising star. He finished that year ranked No. 86.
His first ATP title came in 2004 at the Lyon tournament in France. He beat Xavier Malisse in the final. He also reached another final in Marseille. By the end of 2004, Söderling was in the world's top 50 players.
In 2005, Robin had his first serious injury, needing knee surgery. Even with injuries, he won another title in Milan. He reached the third round of the US Open before needing another surgery.
Robin came back strong in 2006. He quickly moved from No. 100 to the top 50 in the rankings. He helped Sweden keep its spot in the Davis Cup World Group. He finished 2006 at a career-high ranking of No. 25.
In 2007, Söderling reached the round of 32 at Wimbledon. He played a tough five-set match against Rafael Nadal. Robin also reached two ATP finals in Rotterdam and Memphis, but he finished as the runner-up in both. He missed the last three months of 2007 due to a wrist injury.
In 2008, Robin had a great performance at the 2008 World Team Cup in Düsseldorf. He won all his singles and doubles matches. This helped the Swedish team win the event. He reached the third round of the French Open. After some disappointing results, he started working with Magnus Norman, a former Swedish tennis star, as his coach. With Norman's help, Robin reached another final in Stockholm. Three weeks later, he won his first title in three years at the Lyon tournament. He beat top players like Andy Roddick and Gilles Simon. This win pushed him to a new career-best ranking of No. 18. He ended 2008 ranked No. 17.
Breaking Through in 2009: French Open Final
With his new coach Magnus Norman, Robin started 2009 strong. He reached the quarterfinals in Brisbane and the semifinals in Auckland.
At the French Open, Robin Söderling, ranked 23rd, made it to the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time. This set up a match against Rafael Nadal, who had won the French Open four times in a row. Robin created one of the biggest upsets in tennis history by beating Nadal. Nadal had never lost at the French Open before! This made Söderling the first person to ever defeat Nadal on the clay courts of Roland Garros.
After this huge win, Robin continued to play well. He beat Nikolay Davydenko to reach his first major semifinal. Then, he defeated Fernando González in a five-set thriller to reach his first Grand Slam final. Robin lost the final to Roger Federer, but his amazing run moved his ranking up to No. 12 in the world.
After Wimbledon, Robin returned to Sweden and won the Swedish Open title. This was his first outdoor title and his first title not on an indoor hardcourt. This win moved him to No. 11 in the world.
Robin then reached the quarterfinals at the US Open for the first time. He faced Roger Federer again and lost in four sets.
At the end of 2009, Robin qualified for the ATP World Tour Finals. He had an impressive start, beating both Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. He reached the semifinals of this big year-end tournament. Robin finished 2009 ranked No. 8, a new career-best.
Reaching New Heights in 2010
Robin Söderling started 2010 by winning an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi. He even beat Roger Federer there for the first time, though it was not an official match.
At the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, Robin won his first ATP title of the year. This was his biggest tournament win at that time. He also reached the semifinals at the 2010 BNP Paribas Open and 2010 Sony Ericsson Open.
Robin reached his second consecutive French Open final in 2010. He defeated defending champion Roger Federer in the quarterfinals. This ended Federer's amazing streak of 23 Grand Slam semifinal appearances in a row. Robin then won a tough five-set semifinal against Tomáš Berdych. In the final, he faced Rafael Nadal again and lost in straight sets.
After Wimbledon, Robin reached the final of the Swedish Open. He then played well in the US hard court season.
At the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris, Robin had a fantastic run. He saved three match points in the semifinals to reach his first Masters 1000 final. He then won the championship by defeating Gaël Monfils. This made him the first Swedish player to win the Paris Masters since 1996. With this victory, he reached a career-high ranking of No. 4 in the world.
Robin's final tournament of 2010 was the ATP World Tour Finals. He won one match but did not make it past the group stage. He finished the year ranked No. 5, another career-best. At the end of 2010, Robin and his coach Magnus Norman decided to stop working together. Robin then announced that Claudio Pistolesi would be his new coach.
Illness and Retirement (2011–2015)
Robin started 2011 with his new coach. He won the Brisbane International without losing a set. This brought his ranking back to No. 4 in the world.
He reached the fourth round at the Australian Open, which was his best result there. Robin then successfully defended his title at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam. This was his second title of 2011 and his first time defending a title. He won another title the next week at the Open 13 in Marseille. This was his third title of the year.
After helping Sweden win a Davis Cup match, Robin had a tough period. He decided to split with his coach Claudio Pistolesi. A few days later, Fredrik Rosengren became his new coach.
At the French Open, Robin reached the quarterfinals. He faced Rafael Nadal again but lost in straight sets. At Wimbledon, Robin won a tough five-set match in the second round. However, he lost in the third round because he was not feeling well.
After Wimbledon, Robin won the Swedish Open. He did not lose a single set in the whole tournament. He beat top players like Tomáš Berdych and David Ferrer to win his fourth title of the year. This turned out to be the last professional match of his career.
Robin had to withdraw from several tournaments due to a wrist injury. He was then diagnosed with mononucleosis, an illness that made him withdraw from the US Open. Because of his illness, he decided to take a break from tennis for the rest of the season and even missed the 2012 Australian Open.
Robin continued to be away from the tour in 2012, 2013, and 2014 as he recovered. In 2013, he started his own brand of tennis balls called 'RS-Tennis'. In 2014, he became the tournament director of the Stockholm Open.
On 23 December 2015, Robin Söderling officially announced his retirement from professional tennis. He had not played a match for over four years due to mononucleosis. He later shared that he also dealt with anxiety and panic attacks during this time, but he said he was "completely healed" by 2020.
Life After Retirement (2016–Present)
In 2016, Robin stepped down as the tournament director of the Stockholm Open. He has since coached fellow Swedish tennis player Elias Ymer. In 2021, he was the captain of the Swedish 2021 Davis Cup Finals team. In April 2023, he stepped down from his role as Sweden's Davis Cup captain for health reasons.
Robin Söderling now lives in Djursholm, Sweden, with his wife and two children.
How Robin Söderling Played
Robin Söderling was known for his powerful and aggressive style of play. He had a very strong serve that could reach speeds up to 230 km/h (143 mph). He could hit the ball very hard from both his forehand and his two-handed backhand. His forehand was considered one of the most dangerous shots in tennis. He could also hit winners with sharp angles using his backhand.
Robin was very good at overpowering his opponents. Most of his success came on faster courts like indoor hard courts. However, his best Grand Slam results were at the French Open on clay. This was likely because the slower clay courts gave him more time to set up his powerful shots.
Many experts praised Robin's game. They believed he could win Grand Slams and be a consistent top-10 player. Early in his career, his mental strength and consistency were sometimes seen as weaknesses. But as he got older, especially with the help of his coach Magnus Norman, his mental game improved a lot. This made his overall play more consistent.
Equipment
Robin Söderling wore Lotto brand clothing during his career. He used the Head Pro Tour 630 racquet.
Images for kids
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Robin Söderling at the 2009 French Open. He was the first Swede to reach the French Open final since his coach Magnus Norman in 2000.
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Robin Söderling at the 2010 French Open.
See also
In Spanish: Robin Söderling para niños
