Soderling retires after long-running illness

LONDON: Swedens Robin Soderling the player bestknown for being the first man to beat Rafael Nadal at the French Open has retired from professional tennis because of a longrunning illness

Updated At : 07:34 AM Dec 25, 2015 IST

LONDON, December 24

Sweden’s Robin Soderling, the player best-known for being the first man to beat Rafael Nadal at the French Open, has retired from professional tennis because of a long-running illness.

The 31-year-old, twice a runner-up at Roland Garros, has not played an ATP World Tour event since 2011 due to mononucleosis, an energy-sapping viral illness.

“Thank you so much for all your kind words. So sad I won’t play professional tennis again, but reading all your msgs makes me feel a lot better,” Soderling said on his Twitter account. — Reuters