WIMBLEDON, England — While waiting nearly 1 1/2 years for another shot at Roger Federer on a Grand Slam stage, Rafael Nadal has developed a pretty fair rivalry with Robin Soderling.
The Spaniard and Swede will meet in a major event for the third time since June 2009 in today’s quarterfinals at Wimbledon.
Soderling pulled off a shocker last year when they played in the fourth round of the French Open, still Nadal’s only defeat in that event. Nadal avenged the loss in this month’s final at Roland Garros.
Nadal expects the big-swinging Soderling to be even tougher on grass than on clay.
“Probably he’s one of the more difficult opponents that you can play on all surfaces today, but especially here,” Nadal said, “because the ball goes faster, and it’s going to be very difficult to return, and difficult to stop him from the baseline.
“It’s going to be a very difficult match for me, I think. Hopefully for him too.”
TV ratings improve.
Thanks in part to the longest match in tennis history, ESPN2’s audience for the first week at Wimbledon was up 14 percent over last year, and hours watched on broadband were up nearly fourfold.
Part of the marathon fifth set between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut drew an average of 814,000 homes, based on a 0.8 rating.
For the week, ESPN2’s average audience rose to 466,000 from 408,000 in 2009, and the average rating climbed to 0.5 from 0.4.
Footnotes.
Fernando Verdasco and David Ferrer will lead Spain in its Davis Cup quarterfinal against host France next month.
Top-ranked Nadal will be missing for Spain while he rests his right knee. The seven-time Grand Slam winner wants to be fit for the year’s last major, the U.S. Open.
• Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi are renewing their rivalry — and in the Big Apple, no less. John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl too.
The four will participate in the 2011 BNP Paribas Showdown exhibition matches at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 28.
The Associated Press
