What has been overlooked in the shocked response to Rafael Nadal's Sunday loss to Robin Soderling (whom the NBC Sports website called Soderberg - just to give you some idea of the size of the upset) is that the four-time French Open champion may never wear hot pink again.
Though perhaps Bud Collins mentioned this and I missed it. I haven't watched every minute of the Open, but I've seen quite a few thanks to the Tennis Channel, which last week fed my addiction by televising the action on five, sometimes six, courts simultaneously.
As usual, my favorites have been eliminated. This is what happens when you root for underdogs like Santoro and Poles (same thing) like Radwanska. (And even Wozniacki, who grew up in Denmark with Polish parents).
The one exception to my support of the also-rans is Roger Federer, though he was an underdog until the unseemly departure of Nadal. As much as I like him - his grace of movement, his classic clothing, his fluency in three languages - I grimace at his propensity for unforced errors both on the court (especially with his backhand) and off. The last of the latter was his comment that Murray wouldn't win the championship. I can think of no better way to inspire a fellow player to win than to say he won't.
Still, I want Federer to take it all, wowing the crowd with his elegant game and then, much more joyfully, with his beautiful French.
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