ROGER FEDERER

 

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal - Not the Only Stories for Tennis in 2009

Open, his fall at the French, Roger Federer winning for the first time at Roland Garros, his first loss in a long time at the US Open, his career Slam, and his over taking Pete Sampras for the all time lead in Slams. Last but not least, Juan Martin Del Potro is on the scene now as a Grand Slam champion and a future threat for more. But putting those biggest of stories to one side, there have been a few subplots that could easily have been missed by less seasoned observers of the game.

Robin Soderling (70.0 to win the Australian Open) made big strides this year, turning himself from a solid top 40 player into a man on the cusp of the top 10. He reached his first Grand Slam final in Paris, causing the biggest upset of the year in beating the four-time defending champion Rafael Nadal on his way to the championship match. Since then, he has performed solidly, reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon and the quarter-finals of the US Open, losing on each occasion to Federer.By reaching the French Open final, Soderling became the first Swede to get that far since Magnus Norman back in 2000, and it's no coincidence that it's the cerebral Norman who has coached Soderling to his career best season. Norman taught his protégée to temper his mood swings and approach the game in a more confident manner. Soderling is one of the game's biggest hitters and could push on again in 2010 into the top 10.He reached the semi-finals at Queen's, before advancing to the last eight at Wimbledon. He's beaten the likes of Gilles Simon and Fernando Gonzalez, and looked superb in dispatching Dudi Sela for the loss of just six games in their recent Davis Cup encounter. His forehand, once the most feared in the game, has rediscovered some of its old bite, and next season he could once more contend for some of the game's bigger titles.