After a short but successful partnership with Johanssen, Norman began working with Robin Soderling. The towering Swede entered 2009 outside the Top 10, and off the radar to those examining the game’s very best. Norman worked to change that, and with in doing so helped create one of the sport’s all-time upsets: Soderling’s win over Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros.
Rafa was the reigning four-time champion and was undefeated on the terre battue. The Spaniard had also drummed Soderling in Rome the month prior—6-1, 6-0—and their rematch in Paris wasn’t expected to go much differently.
It did, but not in the way most expected.
“There were some things in that match that I felt were not too far off. It could have been a closer match,” Norman said of the Rome encounter. “Everything that we talked about in the gym at 1:00 A.M. in Rome, everything sort of clicked [in Paris].
“It was very important to be the one that was striking the ball first,” the coach continued. “And if you can win one set against Nadal, maybe you can win two. And perhaps there is a possibility to win three. No one believed in him, but he did it. And it was a remarkable performance.”
