Nadal's drive for 5
PARIS — On the verge of another berth in the French Open final, Rafael Nadal hit his worst shot of the day — and perhaps the entire tournament.
The second serve on break point bounced before it reached the net, costing him the game and a third-set lead. As Nadal walked away from the baseline, he smiled ruefully, bit his lower lip and shook his head in disbelief.
"I was a little bit nervous," he later said.
But Nadal's lapses are usually brief, especially at Roland Garros. Soon enough he was celebrating a semifinal victory Friday with a running leap across his favorite court, on his way to a rematch with Robin Soderling in Sunday's final.
Soderling pulled off a stunner when they met in the fourth round last year, and the upset remains Nadal's lone loss in 38 French Open matches.
"He's a very, very dangerous player," Nadal said. "He's one of the best of the world. It will be a difficult match."
Soderling, the 2009 runner-up, returned to the final by beating No. 15-seeded Tomas Berdych 6-3, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3. Nadal then swept No. 22 Jurgen Melzer 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (6).
Soderling has won his past two matches against Nadal, including the shocker at Roland Garros a year ago.
"I know that I can beat him," Soderling said. "I showed it. But every match is a new match."
Francesca Schiavone of Italy was slated to face Samantha Stosur of Australia in the women's final Saturday morning.
The No. 2-seeded Nadal has won all 18 sets in this year's tournament, and he's 21-0 on clay in 2010. He seeks to become the second man to win at least five French Open titles. Bjorn Borg won six.
But Nadal's not infallible, as he showed — briefly — in the third set against Melzer. Nadal served for the victory at 5-4 but was broken at love, with the double-fault the coup de grace.
Nadal said his jitters weren't limited to that moment.
"Roland Garros is a bit special, especially for Spanish players," he said. "I was pretty nervous before the tournament. I was nervous during all the tournament. After this match is the day that I am more happy, because I am at the last match ... what I dreamed it to be a long time ago."
While Nadal is 6-2 in Grand Slam finals, Soderling has little experience on such a stage. His only previous major final was last year at Roland Garros, when he lost to Federer in straight sets.
When asked if he's better-equipped now to deal with the occasion, Soderling said, "We'll see on Sunday, but of course it feels better. It's always the most difficult one, playing your first. ... Hopefully I won't be as nervous as I was last year."
