Robin Soderling Semifinal Press Conference

March 20, 2010

A. RODDICK/R. Soderling

6-4, 3-6, 6-3

An interview with:

ROBIN SODERLING

THE MODERATOR:  Questions, please.

Q.  Can you just give us your general thoughts about how the match went and what was the turning points, you thought?
ROBIN SODERLING:  Well, I was waiting for the turning point all the match.  (laughter.)
It didn't happen.  No, it was tough today.  Conditions were a little bit different.  It was a little bit colder and it was a little bit slower.
Yeah, it was a tough match.  I really had to fight from first point till the end.

Q.  Ljubicic said you have a game similar to Roddick.  What was the difference today?
ROBIN SODERLING:  He played a little bit better than me.  I think, you know, he served a little bit better, and then I made a few more unforced errors.  That's about it.

Q.  How did you feel after the second set?  You said it was a struggle most of the day, but...
ROBIN SODERLING:  Yeah, I felt, you know, I was still waiting for my best tennis.  We played two sets, and, you know, as I said, the conditions were a little bit tough.
But, yeah, I felt that I was playing a little bit better at the end of the second set, but then he broke me.
Well, it wasn't the greatest match, but, you know, I tried everything.  He came up with some good shots at the end.

Q.  Were you surprised that Nadal lost against Ljubicic?
ROBIN SODERLING:  Before the match he was the favorite, of course.  But I played tennis for so many years now, so I know that everything can happen.  There's so many good players out there, so definitely Ljubicic deserves his spot in the final.

Q.  You've played Andy a couple times before.  How do you think he's changed as a player since you last played him?  Do you think he's better?
ROBIN SODERLING:  It's tough to say.  His game is pretty similar.  He serves really well, like always.  He's trying to work the points with his forehand.  So it's tough to say from only one match.
I think maybe the matches we played before were a little bit better, the standards were a little bit better.
But, you know, today he was really fighting well, and he did that better than me.

Q.  You came up a little bit short in the end, but you had a great kind of run.  Do you like playing at this event?
ROBIN SODERLING:  Yeah, it's very nice.  I like this place a lot.  It's a great tournament.  I played a lot of good matches here obviously, and hopefully I can build on that and play well for the next tournaments.

Q.  You've had a good year.  Are you happy with your success this year so far and the end of last year?
ROBIN SODERLING:  Yeah, I think the end of last year was really good.  I played a lot of matches and I did really well, I think.
The start of this year maybe wasn't the best in Australia, but then I played really well in Rotterdam.  Then Davis Cup was good, and then here again was pretty good.  I really feel like I'm playing better and better.

Q.  Do you have any thoughts about the finals with Andy taking on Ivan?
ROBIN SODERLING:  It's gonna be a tough match.  They're both serving well, and the margin is gonna be really small.  Ivan had a really tough one today, so we'll see how he feels tomorrow.

Q.  Obviously you had your great wins and your great runs.  Roland Garros is still a couple months away.  In the back of your mind, are you thinking about the French at all?  Are you anticipating your time there?
ROBIN SODERLING:  Not more than any other Grand Slam.  You know, I think all the players are focusing on the Grand Slams.  Everybody wants to win in the bigger tournaments.
Paris is one of the biggest ones, so of course my main goal is to do well in the big tournaments.
But there's still a lot of tennis to be played before Paris.

Q.  You know, you were talking about you didn't feel like you were playing well, but I don't think Andy got broken until he played you today.  Can you talk a little bit about what you did against Andy's serve to have success?  I think you broke him like three times.
ROBIN SODERLING:  Yeah, but he broke me four times.  (laughter.)
Well, I tried to take it    I tried to take it early.  I was watching his match against Robredo yesterday, and Robredo stayed very far back from the second serve returns and I tried to take it early and put some pressure on him.
It worked well when he was missing his first serve, but when he got his first serve in, it's really tough for everybody.        

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