Söderling looks forward to possible showdown with fellow French Open finalist Federer in Abu Dhabi

27 Dec, 2009

2009 French Open finalists Söderling and Federer could square up again at the Capitala World Tennis Championship

Abu Dhabi, UAE : Robin Söderling, ranked number eight in the world, surprised everyone - even himself - by making his way to the French Open final earlier this year.

The top ranked Swede reached his first ever Grand Slam, defeating Rafael Nadal to end the Spaniard's record 31 match winning streak at the tournament and move through to the final against world number one Roger Federer by overcoming Nikolay Davydenko (6-1 6-3 6-1) and Fernando Gonzalez (6-3 7-5 5-7 4-6 6-4). Söderling lost to the Swiss master (6-1 7-6 6-4) but says he can't wait for a possible re-match and the chance to get one back against the world's best player at the Capitala World Tennis Championship.

"Making it through to my first Grand Slam final was a dream come true and something I have aspired to and worked towards my whole life," Söderling said.

"As any player will tell you, coming up against Roger in a Grand Slam final is always difficult but I'm now very much looking forward to the possibility of playing against him in Abu Dhabi and hopefully going one step better."

Söderling might just have that chance if he advances through to day two of the Capitala World Tennis Championship and overcomes Federer's fellow countryman Stanislas Wawrinka on the opening day of the event.

The big hitting Swede will no doubt draw on the success and experience gained in a record year which saw him compile a personal best 47-19 match record during the season. He also reached the quarter-finals (or better) in 11 of his 22 tour-level tournaments.

Following his stunning French Open form, Söderling then went on to earn his first clay-court ATP World Tour title on home soil at the Catella Swedish Open.

In Grand Slam play he posted career-best performances at Wimbledon (fourth round) and the US Open (quarter-finals), losing to Federer both times. He also won one ATP Challenger Tour title at Sunrise, Florida in March and reached the Malaysian and China Opens before the Shanghai Masters where he officially cracked into the top 10 for the first time. Söderling made an impressive performance at the ATP World Tour Final this year, the first time the Swede had qualified for the tournament. He defeated world number two Nadal in his first match, going on to reach the semi-finals where he lost out to Juan Martin del Potro.

"It was certainly a great year for me," said Söderling, who also enjoys playing table tennis and rates his favourite movie is "Gladiator".

"I'm now hoping I can carry on that form and get the 2010 season off to the best possible start with wins over the top players competing in Abu Dhabi."

Söderling started playing tennis at the mere age of five and played in his first official junior tournament in Luxembourg at the age of 14. He became the first Swede to reach the French Open final since his coach Magnus Norman did in 2000 and is currently the only Swede in the top 200 ATP rankings.