I could turn your phrase on you: After all he's achieved at RG, if anyone thinks that the knees played no part in a 22 year old Nadal losing to Soderling, you've been proven wrong by history. It's not an excuse for the loss. It's part of what went into it, and that was observable over time, and by the fact that Nadal couldn't play tennis for 2 1/2 months after. No one says that Soderling didn't play a great match. Match of his life, without doubt. But that was the guy that lost to Nadal 1 x 0 in Rome just weeks before. All I'm saying, or have ever said, is that it is ridiculous to say that Nadal's bad knees had nothing to do with it. It's a circular argument. Those who want it to be about Soderling's amazing achievement, and some notion of Rafa being beatable at RG, they won't have for a moment that it wasn't all Soderling. For others, like me, it was in the mix of reasons, which are not the same as excuses, for why Soderling hit the magic button on the right day. If Nadal is so beatable, in full health, particularly at that age, then how come Federer is 0-6 vs. him at RG, and Djokovic 1-5 or whatever, (and only beat Nadal in his worst year on tour?) As
@Jelenafan was asking recently, what actually makes Robin Soderling so special? If you look at Nadal's record at RG, and his injury history, well, ask yourself again.
