Fabrice Santoro: Federer’s biggest match ever

French veteran Fabrice Santoro gave us his view on Sunday’s enticing French Open men’s singles final between Roger Federer and Robin Soderling. Fabrice, do you think that Roger Federer will at last win the French Open title? He’s never been this close. This is the biggest match of his career. If he wins on Sunday he’ll have all four Grand Slams to his name. He’ll also equal Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam wins. This is the first time that he’s been the favourite in the final at Roland Garros. How is he going to handle the pressure? It’s anybody’s guess. But things are going to be even harder for Robin to handle since it’s his first final and he’s always lost against Roger. Nine losses in nine matches! That’s a statistic to keep in mind. Despite his experience, could Roger really let stress get the best of him? It wouldn’t be surprising. Since Rafa got eliminated everyone’s been saying it’s this year or never for Roger. As soon as he opens a newspaper or turns on the television he sees the big headlines: “Roger favourite to win”. That must be a heavy burden to bear. Let’s not forget that two weeks ago everyone thought Nadal was unbeatable. Does Soderling’s performance here remind you of that of Dutchman Martin Verkerk in 2003? Yeah, it’s sort of the same thing happening this year. Robin has appeared out of nowhere. But let’s be clear, he fought for his wins. He had an incredibly tough draw. It doesn’t get much tougher than Ferrer, Nadal, Davydenko and Gonzalez. He must be flying now. His confidence has been given a huge boost after such a run. But he could freeze on the big day. Sort of like Verkerk in his final (who was beaten 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 by Ferrero, ed). How do you explain such a change in Soderling’s game and behaviour over the course of a few weeks? Perhaps his coach (Magnus Norman) has helped him or maybe it’s just maturity. I don’t know. In any case, something clicked, that’s for sure. We’re seeing a new Robin on the court. He’s calm, relaxed and in control. Beating Nadal gives you a little extra too. Soderling is not very popular with his fellow players. What do you all think of his incredible run in this tournament? We like how he plays, but his personality is another matter. Everyone rates his game. He hasn’t got where he is by chance: his success is well-deserved. The crowd on centre court will no doubt be 100% behind Federer. Do you think this might influence the match? Yes, I think that it might help Roger. The whole of France will be behind him. It was really touching to see how the supporters cheered and encouraged him against Del Potro. The spectators here are very knowledgeable. They know that a victory for Federer would be historic. And they also know that Roger is one of the best clay-courters in the world. He’s hardly ever lost to anyone except Nadal on clay. What tactics should he use to wrong-foot Soderling? The same ones he used against Del Potro. Robin plays very well laterally, but less well at the net. He should use his drop shots, which were very effective against Del Potro. The weather conditions will also play an important role. The more humid it is, the heavier the clay will be, and the more effective Roger’s drop shots will be. Against Del Potro, Federer had some difficulty on the backhand return. Why did he play so many mid-court backhands? Because the Argentinean’s serve is so fast and powerful, even his second serve. Roger didn’t have time to take them on the forehand, and he wanted to force Del Potro to the net. Physically, which player has the advantage? Both players are in excellent shape, but Roger is looking particularly fit at the moment. Could a win at Roland Garros signal the beginning of the end for Roger? He is about to become a father and will have won every title possible. It must be hard to stay motivated after that… No, I don’t think so at all. It’s him against history and he won’t be happy with just equalling Pete Sampras’ record. On the contrary: if he wins here he will be even more focused, and I can see him winning Wimbledon too.