Robin Soderling Solders Gonzo in an Inspired "Fifth" Set Thriller

Ok Gonzo, you did try but in order to succeed you have to specifically remember "NOT TO BOTCH UP" and it seems you forgot that in the fifth set; and that's what did you in.

When a player [excluding Federer] has the capability to equalise matters at two sets all and leads 4-1 in the fifth; his opponent is waiting on the other side of the net as to when it will all finish, then trust Gonzo to give it all away.

Of course, not to snatch Soderling's scintillating shot sheen but the appalling end that Gonzo faced today was only because and I repeat "Only Because" of himself.

Not that he played bad towards the end, it was just that he got into spades with the linesman and the umpire; c'mon you can't just get off like that and in Gonzo's case, he not only lost points off those challenges but also his concentration.

His coach was trying to hand gesture him to hold on to his nerves- listen to your superiors Gonzo, it really helps sometimes.

Coming back to this "Soldering Iron" Swede, he could win because he played like he played any other normal game, calm and cool under pressure especially in the fifth; even when he was trailing 1-4 he looked down, frustrated sometimes- literally down but never out of contention.

These past days, as I have observed Soderling I have seen that he has "Self-Belief" which helped him against Rafa, then the ones to succeed him as his opponents; at the same time he isn't over confident about any game.

There was this thing mentioned about Zizou when he was playing his last World Cup in 2006; it seemed that Zizou was taking each game in that outing as his last, giving his zenith performance in every match: there was no tomorrow, it was all about "Today" and "In this moment."

Soderling's game, reminded me of that time and again this time; when he was playing Rafa, he wasn't thinking about "Oh he defeated me in the worst possible way at Rome" he was thinking about "Will I be able to do it today?"

And this is what has led him to contest here without any fear and without any other emotion clouding his mind; and this is where he could mark a stark difference between the highly charged Chilean.

Game-plan wise, they matched each other; both had great serves which ticked when it mattered the most, scorchers as forehands and rippers as backhands to carry them past.

It was the attitude that demarcated them till the end and pushed the winner on to the centre stage at Phillipe Chartier today and it was another presentation of mental toughness rather than just a physical endurance test.

The attitude that Fernando Gonzalez showed when he grabbed the third and the fourth set, had he struck to that till the fighting finish, it would have been a different matter altogether showcasing his invulnerability to petty matters.

The end however paints a different picture and the Swede's "not-so-inebriated-post-match" display of emotion probably brings back memories of the past Swedes who belonged to this category in the days of yore.

Additionally, it's just one more reminder that the rule of mental dominance hasn't left the dirt of Roland Garros after the premature exit of the Spaniard named as "Rafael Nadal!"