Veteran Swedish tennis player Robin Soderling has a note of advice for reigning US Starting up champion Dominic Thiem. The fragment of advice really pertains to tackling 20-time Colossal Slam winner Rafael Nadal on his accepted ground – clay. And Soderling would know a thing or two about beating Nadal on clay as he obtained the higher of the Spaniard at his overjoyed looking out ground, the Roland-Garros, in 2009.
Performing on a podcast, the damaged-down World Quantity 4 was once requested what he would train Thiem if Thiem was once to ring him up in some unspecified time in the future and query him learn the technique to play Nadal on the French Starting up most life like likely.
Soderling mentioned basically the most efficient technique to form out the Spaniard on clay is to warfare hearth with hearth. “Particularly on clay, you hold got to play aggressively. You know, now he may maybe also be even higher to take the initiative. I hold that Rafa, within the heart of the last few years, became more aggressive. He tries to take the ball a exiguous little bit of bit early, assign a exiguous little bit of bit more stress on the opponent,” Soderling mentioned.
Rafael Nadal has developed his game since 2009, says Soderling
The Swede furthermore weighed in on how Nadal’s game has developed since that defeat in 2009.
“Abet then, he was once taking half in a exiguous little bit of bit more defensive but he improved many issues at some level of all these years. However I’d snarl ten years within the past, he was once seemingly sooner, he was once transferring higher. So he may maybe play a exiguous little bit of bit more defensive. Now, I don’t hold he is transferring apart from to sooner than, but he (has) improved diversified issues. He has improved his wait on loads, performs rather more aggressively, can take the ball a exiguous little bit of bit earlier and flatten it out, which he couldn’t lift out support then,” Soderling mentioned.
The Swede added that he was once impressed by how Nadal has introduced subtle modifications to his game to suit the wants of smartly-liked-day tennis. “That’s with out a doubt one of the significant issues I’m genuinely impressed with, speaking about Rafa. He managed to replace and enhance his game to meet the fresh model of tennis that is coming,” Soderling mentioned.
Soderling made the French Starting up most life like likely in 2009 but lost the title-decider in straight objects to Roger Federer.
Read More: “Suffered very principal from it”: Rafael Nadal on the Hardest Phase of his Career
This put up was once most life like likely modified on December 24, 2020 7: 07 pm