Roger Federer is just one win away from completing the career Grand Slam and tying Pete Sampras with 14 major singles titles. Only Robin Soderling stands in his way on Sunday in the French Open final.
Roger Federer has been on the brink of defeat at least twice already at the French Open. Now he is on the brink of history.
Heading into Sunday's French Open title match, Federer is one win away from capturing the sole major that eludes him, as well as equaling Pete Sampras at 14 Grand Slam singles titles.
Standing in his way is not world No. 1, four-time defending Roland Garros champion, and arch-rival Rafael Nadal. Instead, it's previously-unheralded Robin Soderling.
Federer and Soderling have met on nine previous occasions, and Federer is dominating the head-to-head series with a perfect 9-0 record, including 3-0 on clay. They have played 20 sets in total; Soderling has taken just one. Their only prior Grand Slam encounter came in the second round of Wimbledon last summer, with Federer prevailing 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3). The two finalists most recently met at last month's Masters Series Madrid, where Federer scored a 6-1, 7-5 second-round victory.
Federer, of course, is a huge favorite on Sunday in almost every single facet of the game; most notably head-to-head history, Grand Slam experience, and mental strength. Soderling, however, arguably has the edge in current form at the French Open.
The 25th-ranked Swede dispatched Kevin Kim and Denis Istomin in straight sets before ousting David Ferrer in a fourth-set tiebreaker. Soderling then shocked the tennis world with a four-set triumph over Nadal, and he sustained that incredible momentum by blowing out Nikolay Davydenko in straight sets. He appeared to be on similar roll in the semis against Federnando Gonzalez, but after blowing a two-set lead, Soderling had to come back from 4-1 down in the fifth to reach his first Grand Slam final.
Federer has struggled almost every step of the way. After easing past Alberto Martin, the Swiss dropped sets to both Jose Acasuso and Paul-Henri Mathieu. The 13-time Grand Slam champion then came back from two sets down against Tommy Haas in the fourth round. In the quarterfinals, Federer was finally at his best in a straight-set victory over Gael Monfils. On Friday, Federer trailed Juan Martin Del Potro two sets two one, only to storm from behind once again and survive 6-4 in the fifth.
The competitiveness of Sunday's title match all comes down to Soderling. After all, we can almost be sure of what we'll get from Federer: solid play, flashes of brilliance, and at least a few stretches where his game compleltely breaks down from the back of the court. That has been the story of the entire fortnight.
With Soderling, all bets are off. The level of tennis he displayed against both Nadal and Davydenko is easily good enough to take Federer down and shock the tennis world for a second time. Yes, Soderling has handled all the huge moments of the past week with unprecedented mental fortitude. But a Grand Slam final is--to put it simply--different.
Is there a chance we could see what Marat Safin and Lleyton Hewitt did to Pete Sampras in the 2000 and 2001 U.S. Open finals, respectively? Sure, but the chances are slim.
Soderling should be able to take a set by playing with reckless abandon and connecting on his big forehands. In the end, however, he has never been here before and that will probably begin to show at the crucial stages of each set. Look for Federer produce his best tennis at the key moments and make history with his 14th slam title after four competitive sets.
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