	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

WIMBLEDON

July 4, 2007

Robin Soderling

LONDON, ENGLAND

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. How tough was that match?
ROBIN SODERLING: It was four hours, 7-5 in the third, so it was pretty tough. It was special with all the delays, all the rain. It was for sure different.

Q. What is the source of your bad blood with Nadal?
ROBIN SODERLING: Well, it's tough to say. He's a good player. He's a really good player. I mean, he plays well on every surface now. So I think I needed to serve a little bit better today than I did. I didn't put so many first serves in as I needed to.
You know, I had my chances at 4-All, one breakpoint. It wasn't my day today.

Q. Rafa has been quite critical of you, your sportsmanship. Your thoughts on that?
ROBIN SODERLING: He said what?

Q. He was quite critical of your behavior.
ROBIN SODERLING: Okay, yeah. I'd probably say the same, yeah, but I won't do that. I keep it to myself.

Q. Did you miss understand my question? I asked what was the source of your bad blood with Nadal? Why was it such an unfriendly match?
ROBIN SODERLING: Well, I don't think it was. I mean, it was a tough match. It was really tough match. That's how tough matches is.

Q. Why don't you seem to like him as a person and as a fellow competitor?
ROBIN SODERLING: Well, I haven't said that to anyone, that I don't like him. I mean...

Q. Rafael is saying that he tried to say hello to you. You never answer. Try to shake hands with you. You almost did not want to. Almost nobody in the locker room is speaking good about you.
ROBIN SODERLING: I would never say that about anyone on the press conference. I mean, that's what he said. I mean, I could say the same. I could talking shit about a lot of people, but I won't do that.

Q. You were imitating him out there on the court. It seemed like you were making fun of him. You were delaying a little bit, sometimes stepping back. It seemed pretty obvious there was something going on. What Rafa said seemed to confirm that.
ROBIN SODERLING: Okay, yeah. I mean, I told you, I say it again, I mean, that's for him. I mean, that's what he said. I would never say anything about that to the press. I mean, I'm never talking bad about anyone to the press.
I mean, if he's complaining about that, I never say hi to him, what can I do?

Q. He was also complaining the ball hit the net, went over, not doing the courtesy wave, the handshake.
ROBIN SODERLING: He must have been in his complaining mood today. If my opponent, I mean, gets a lucky shot and he doesn't say I'm sorry, I don't care. For me it's okay. Why should I say I'm sorry when I'm like happiest moment of my life? Why should I say I'm sorry? It's just bullshit.

Q. How would you describe how you feel about him and what your relationship is?
ROBIN SODERLING: I mean, I have nothing to say. I mean, I can talk about him as a player, but I don't even know him outside the court.
THE MODERATOR: I think we need to change the line of questioning. He said he doesn't want to answer about that.

Q. Stopping and starting the match the day before and today, do you lose a lot of mental stamina because of that, or do you feel you have more energy and umph to move forward and win?
ROBIN SODERLING: For me personally, I think I'm pretty good in matches like this. I think I start my matches pretty well. I think I did like the past 200 rain delays.
But today -- I felt I play a little bit better yesterday. Today, as I said, I didn't put as many first serves in as I needed to. But still I had my chances. I had a breakpoint. But he played well. All credit to him.

Q. Do you think Rafa has the game to stop Roger Federer taking a fifth title?
ROBIN SODERLING: On grass, no, I don't think so. As I said, everything can happen. I think all players who are left in the draw now, they can win the tournament.
But I think Federer on grass, he's a better player. He has all strokes. I mean, he really can play.
Like Nadal, he's really good at what he's good at. I mean, Federer, he's a more complete player I think.

Q. Were you upset you weren't playing on Sunday?
ROBIN SODERLING: No, not really. I know they were not playing on Sunday. It could have rained all Sunday anyway. But, no. I expected to play on Monday.

Q. After the match was called off, we had one hour of sun.
ROBIN SODERLING: Yeah, I don't know why they canceled it. I mean, it's easy to say now after when we saw what happened.

Q. Which things were feeling uncomfortable to you in the court?
ROBIN SODERLING: What feelings are uncomfortable?

Q. You were feeling uncomfortable in the court, not easy on the court.
ROBIN SODERLING: I mean, I felt okay.

Q. In general, how difficult is it to be on the court, go back again to the locker room?
ROBIN SODERLING: It's difficult. I mean, it's not something you do every match. I mean, this must be the record. We played the match for, I don't know, five days or something. For sure it's something you haven't done before.

Q. Did the tension cripple the match in that respect?
ROBIN SODERLING: It can happen, but I didn't -- I don't think that was the problem for me in this match.

Q. Would you tell us what you were thinking when you were grabbing at your shorts and why you were doing that?
ROBIN SODERLING: Oh, well, it was more of a fun thing, you know. I mean, I had to wait for him -- it was at the start of the fifth set. Until that, I think I had to wait for him, I mean, more than 200 times. Every point I had to wait for him. He had to wait for me one time. He's starting already shaking his head, doing these things.
So, but, it was -- maybe I shouldn't have done it. I'm not angry at him at all.

Q. How did it make you feel during those 200 times he did slow things down?
ROBIN SODERLING: It's tough. I mean, most of the players - I think all players - play faster than him. It's different. That's how he plays against everybody, so...

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297