Roger Federer Beats Robin Soderling to Join All-time, All-round Greats

The whole of tennis breathed a sigh of relief here yesterday when Roger Federer finally won the French Open. All who had watched this formidably gifted Swiss since he won his first grand slam championship at Wimbledon in 2003, through to last year's US Open, his 13th major, had been convinced that here was the best player the world had seen since Australia's Rod Laver won the second of his calendar grand slams 40 years ago. Yet Spain's Rafael Nadal had begun to chip away at the Federer aura, denying him this title three times in succession, beating him most brutally last year, snatching away his Wimbledon title too and replacing him as the world No1.

Federer has unquestionably been struggling to cope with the pressure Nadal was exerting on him. Andy Murray beat the Spaniard in the semi-finals in New York last year and a hugely relieved Swiss duly won the title against Murray. But faced with Nadal again in this year's Australian Open final Federer could find no answer, virtually giving up in the fifth set and sobbing during the trophy ceremony. There were tears once more after he defeated Sweden's Robin Soderling 6-1, 7-6, 6-4 here but these were slow-falling, quiet ones of the utmost joy. "This was my greatest victory," said Federer. "I can now go the rest of my career without worrying that I would never win the French Open."

It had seemed, before this year's tournament began, that Nadal would surely win his fifth successive title, having never previously lost a match here, and that once again Federer would be denied the place in history he craved. Then, on the second Sunday, came Soderling's astonishing four-set fourth-round victory over Nadal that left Roland Garros stunned. Suddenly, dramatically, the whole tournament shifted on its axis. Here was that slice of luck that all great champions need at some time or another.

But had it come too early? Federer's form had been so erratic this year that there was no certainty, however much he and everybody else wished it, that the exit of Nadal would necessarily leave his path clear to become only the sixth player to win all four majors. In his own fourth-round match he went two sets down, and a break point in the third, against Germany's Tommy Haas before winning in five. Then in Friday's semi-final Argentina's Juan Martín del Potro led by two sets to one. Again Federer held his nerve, though everybody left Roland Garros feeling emotionally drained.

All this time Soderling, who had never previously gone beyond the third round of any grand slam championship, kept winning, so that before yesterday's final there were few, despite Federer's previous nine victories against the Swede, who sat down to watch with an absolute conviction that the Swiss would prevail. In the end his victory might have been deemed routine had it not been for what was hanging on the final point, after which Federer fell to his knees. History had indeed pushed him to the floor.

Federer still needs one more major to surpass Pete Sampras's record of 14 – perhaps at Wimbledon – but yesterday's victory put an end to any argument as to whether Federer or Sampras should be accorded the position as the greatest player in the modern era.

Sampras reached only one semi-final at Roland Garros and was never comfortable on clay, and the words of Andre Agassi after he had lost the 2005 US Open to Federer, came back with greater prescience. "Pete was great, no question. But there was a place to get to with Pete; you knew what you had to do. If you do it, it could be on your terms. There's no such place like that with Roger."

Fittingly Agassi was in Paris to present Federer with the Coupe des Mousquetaires, the trophy he so famously won in 1999 to place his name alongside Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, Fred Perry and Don Budge. And now that cinq is six. "I expected it to be a tough match but I played one of my greatest tie-breaks with four aces," Federer said. "It was very hard for me mentally. My mind was wandering and I was very nervous at the beginning of the third set. The last game was almost unplayable for me. It was an emotional roller coaster."

Yet the only time Federer appeared the least unnerved was when a spectator, wearing a Swiss shirt and carrying a Barcelona flag, came on to the court in the second set and tried to place a hat on his head. The French umpire, Pascal Maria, quickly responded, though it took security nearly 20 seconds to bring down the intruder.

Nadal, who will see a specialist in Barcelona today, did not watch the final. "I will send Roger my congratulations," he said. "He deserves to win it more than anybody else."

It must be hoped that Nadal can defend his Wimbledon title. Federer might have blessed Soderling for beating the Spaniard here but it is a rivalry he and all tennis want to continue on grass. This, though, was Federer's day, the history man.