Earthquake Strikes Paris

The future of Roland Garros 2009 seemed as certain as it's recent history in the record books.

La Coupes des Mosquetaires seemed destined to be the Clay King's, Rafael Nadal's. Yet again.

And ok, if that sounds far-stretched, all the 127 men who arrived in Paris this year looking to survive at the (we might as well call it) Nadal open were completely convinced that The Spanish bull shall leap his way to the final, no matter what happens le Juin 7.

Probably like all the laid-back Rafans all over the world, I too remained assured that it was only a matter of time for Rafa to further prove his mettle on his beloved clay—la terre bautte and rewrite the history books. Yet again. Such seemed the clay King's demeanour last year.

I'll admit—I couldn't really digest the pink shirt at first but regardless, I took it in.

As for the frequent short adjustment which is the only other thing that irks me most about Rafa, there requires no introduction.

Nevertheless, the undying admiration and love for Rafa all comes down to his demeanour, on and off-court, his irresistible face, the pleasing talk, the lovely smile, the grit and determination, the will to excel, the never-say-die attitude, the burning desire, and stern belief.

And in regard to his form, last match against Hewitt, the 4th round pretty much should have been a one-sided affair, a victory with ruthless efficiency.

The first set gone. Unbelievably, in Soderling's favour on a two-break lead. Ah well, I thought, all right, but that's as much Soderling can get out of this match today. How wrong was I.

Second set: Unable to hold on to his break of Serve, Rafa was soon broken back and the result was a tiebreak which Nadal ran with.

The third set: Soderling's.

And suddenly it's a 2-1 set lead in Soderling's favour.

The Fourth begins. A matter of do or die for Rafa. One more set lost and its au revoir to Roland Garros, his chase for the 5th, La terre bautte and Paris this year.
Early Break for Rafa. 2-0. YES YES YES!!

But it wasn't sustained and the next thing we knew, it was to be another tiebreak at six all.

I held my breath. So did the growing audience at the Philippe Chatrier. Seven points, POINTS, not GAMES that mattered. What if...? Anxiety and suspense.

Tiebreak: 1-2 for Rafa.

And suddenly out of nowhere, it raced to 1-6. Goodness gracious, five match points, five CONSECUTIVE match points for Soderling. What IS happening?

Another long rally. Match point saved. Phew! 2-6

Four more?? An intuition hovered. And soon...
The volley was long. It was all over.

Au revoir Roland Garros, Au revoir Les Coupes des Mosquetaires cinquième. An opportunity to carve an even bigger piece of history for himself slipped from the fingers.

The Clay King falls at Paris.
End of trail for the fifth.

Too impossible to consider. Mais comment ce s'est passé??

But yes, it has happened. Somehow unfathomably. An absolute shocker as the aftermath of the earthquake that has struck Paris still lingers.

1) Robin Soderling is NOT any clay court specialist.

2) His only title wins came on indoor surfaces, carpet/hard.

3) May 31 marked his ONLY and FIRST fourth round progress at a Grand Slam event

4) Just a month ago, he received some ruthless drubbing by Rafa at the Miami masters, managing only one game.

And yet. And yet. He is the only man to topple the Clay King on the red dirt of Paris.

Perceptively, Nadal never seemed to be deep into the match comfortably. Those familiar strokes of brilliance lingered solitarily here and then, from a man who could win even playing his 90 percent, but for most of the match, Rafa seemed to employ only simple defense and like he himself acknowledged, "I didn't play my tennis out there."

Too incongruous, isn't it?

And still the gentleman he is. With the most down-to-earth humility, he accepted, "It's not a tragedy, I had to lose one day. I must accept my defeats with the same level of calm that I accept my victories. I have to move on," said he.

And despite all, Rafa concluded, with utmost sincerity, "Federer is the favorite, in my opinion. It would be great [to see him win it], so that he can complete the Grand Slam. If anybody deserves it, it’s him."

The twinge of disappointment shall hover, perhaps even more than; nevertheless, forever, he shall be, a champion in our hearts.

And This, isn't the dead end. There's still much more to come from this Genius.
Just to lie in await.