Rafael Nadal meets with Robin Soderling's daughter, 14 years after Swede made history by becoming the first player ever to beat him at French Open
Rafael Nadal recently met former ATP player Robin Soderling's 10-year-old daughter during a junior tennis tournament at the Rafa Nadal Academy.
The Spaniard announced his arrival on the ATP tour by winning his first Grand Slam title — the 2005 French Open — at the age of 19. He quickly established himself as the player to beat on clay as he created new records on red dirt. Roland Garros, in particular, became his backyard, with the youngster winning the tournament four years in a row (2005-2008).
He arrived in Paris in 2009 as a six-time Major champion, having also won the 2008 Wimbledon and the 2009 Australian Open. After winning his first three matches and extending his streak to 31-0 at the French Open, he was finally beaten in his favorite tournament. Soderling defeated Nadal 6-2, 6-7(2), 6-4, 7-6(2) in the fourth round and reached the final, where he lost to Roger Federer.
On Sunday, March 19, the 38-year-old Swedish player's daughter, Olivia, took to social media to share a photograph with the 22-time Grand Slam champion. She revealed that she attended the TEN-PRO Global Junior Tour at the Mallorcan's academy.
"Fun week playing @tenproglobaljuniortour at @rafanadalacademy. Lots of fun matches and I got many new friends. And I got to meet @rafaelnadal," Olivia wrote.
Tennis author Bastien Fachan reshared the photograph and marveled at how Olivia was yet to be born when her father caused one of the biggest upsets in the history of tennis.
"Robin Soderling's daughter meeting with Rafa at a junior tennis event is such a perfect full-circle moment. She wasn't born yet in 2009, though I'm sure she knows her dad and Rafa's fates are forever intertwined," Fachan tweeted.
Robin Soderling's daughter meeting with Rafa at a junior tennis event is such a perfect full-circle moment
She wasn't born yet in 2009, though I'm sure she knows her dad and Rafa's fates are forever intertwined
(h/t @loveisparpall) https://t.co/bAUCvlD0TH
A look at Rafael Nadal and Robin Soderling's rivalry
Rafael Nadal and Robin Soderling faced each other eight times on the tour, with the former winning on six occasions and two matches going in his opponent's favor. Six of these eight meetings came at Grand Slam tournaments. The Spaniard avenged his 2009 loss by beating the Swede in straight sets in the final of the 2010 French Open.
However, there is more to their rivalry. The animosity between the two players grew when Soderling mimicked the former World No. 1 during their 2007 Wimbledon clash. After winning the match, the Mallorcan had this to say:
"He's [Soderling] a strange guy because I've greeted him like seven times since I'm on the tour, said 'Hi' to him and never got an answer. He doesn't do it only with me, but with every other player," he said.
A day before the 2010 French Open final, however, the Spaniard remarked that he didn't have a problem with Soderling anymore.
''I had a little bit more tension than usual at Wimbledon in 2007, but after that, I didn't have one problem with him," he said. "I think he's doing well, and at the same time he has improved his level of tennis. He has improved his personality. He says hello more times to the rest of the players."
When Nadal beat Novak Djokovic to win his 13th Roland Garros title in 2020, Soderling heaped praise on him, saying:
"To put things in perspective: Just to qualify for the French Open main draw 13 times is an unbelievable achievement as an athlete. Words can not describe what Rafa has done. Big up ”young man.”
To put things in perspective: Just to qualify for the French Open main draw 13 times is an unbelievable achievement as an athlete. Words can not describe what Rafa has done. Big up ”young man”