Soderling: Sidelined by Mono and Seriousness

Robin Soderling, before mono left him too weak to play, or make a fist.Robin Soderling the Giant Slayer has defeated Rafael Nadal on the King of Clay's favorite surface, the red crumbled brick courts of Paris.  He's triumphed over the Greatest Player of All Time, Roger Federer.  But the giant slayer cannot beat back a bout of mononucleosis.  The viral infection has pinned the Swede far behind the baseline -- actually, the sidelines -- for a year and a half, and maybe for good. Soderling tells ESPN.com he may not return to the sport.

"Overall, it's getting better, but I'm not as desperate to come back anymore tomorrow," he told ESPN's Ravi Ubha.  "I will give it a shot, of course, but I learned to live with the thought that maybe it will not be possible. Whatever happens, I will feel I did all I could." 

That has included a trip last spring to doctors in California, who discovered a thyroid problem.  The discovery hasn't led to improvements for the 28-year-old, who says he struggles to rack up a string of good training days.

"The hope, the hopelessness, then the hope again, then the hopelessness -- that really kills me," Soderling said.  Wait, is Soderling talking about his recovery from mono, or his recovery from tennis hate?

"I feel really good, then I start to practice, and then I think maybe in a couple of months I can come back and I really believe it. Then I do a bit too much and wake up one morning not feeling well again."

Sodering is a Hater on the court.  He famously mocked Nadal in a 2007 Wimbledon match by mimicking Nadal's pre-serve shorts tug.  

He now says it would have helped him to "relax a little."  

Meanwhile, Nadal is having the last laugh.  He has started praticing again, after missing most of the season because of ongoing knee problems.  He told reporters today he intends to return to the same shape he was in before his shocking second-round exit at Wimbledon.