SWEDEN’S ROBIN Soderling caused one of the biggest shocks in tennis history last week when he knocked Rafael Nadal out of the French Open.
The four-set defeat marked the first time the world number one has ever been beaten at Roland Garros, ending a 31-match winning streak which has seen Nadal claim the title four years running.
If you asked most people to pick a player likely to end Nadal’s remarkable run, few would have singled out the rangy Swede.
While much was expected of the 23rd seed early in his career he has, until now, failed to live up to the promise he showed as a teenager.
At 6’4” and with a powerful serve, Soderling has all the raw ingredients to compete with the best in the world, but a failure to consistently play to the best of his ability has seen him win only three ATP titles to date.
It is this erratic form which makes his victory over Nadal all the more surprising.
With Nadal’s defeat and with Roger Federer looking uncomfortable as he laboured to a five-set victory over Tommy Haas, the draw looked to be opening up for Britain’s Andy Murray.
However, almost as soon as the opportunity of a first grand slam title presented itself, it was snatched away as Murray was completely outclassed by Fernando Gonzalez in the quarter-finals.
Still, with Nadal proving that he is beatable, even on his favoured surface of clay, these look like promising times for men’s tennis.
The sport is perhaps at its most competitive for years as more and more players are beginning to show they are a match for anyone on the day.
The indomitable Nadal, like Federer before him, has been found wanting and the untouchables are now clearly in the sights of the chasing pack.
One defeat might seem inconsequential in the big picture, but Nadal’s aura will suffer and he will find fewer opponents willing to meekly comply with expected defeat merely by the mention of his name.
On the strength of all this, we may be about to witness an extremely competitive Wimbledon shortly after the French Open comes to a close.
