Soderling Comfortable With Life As A Top Player

© Getty ImagesRobin Soderling has a 56-20 match record on the season.

Robin Soderling, the leading indoor specialist in the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals field, who achieved a career-high No. 4 in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings after his BNP Paribas Masters, insists "a ranking is just a number, but it won’t change anything."

The Swede comes into the London season finale with a 20-4 indoor record over the past 12 months – seven victories more than the nearest of his fellow qualifiers, David Ferrer (13-3). He has a 56-20 match record on the season, highlighted by a second successive runner-up finish at Roland Garros.

“I feel like I’m improving and I like being a top player," said Soderling at the London Marriott Hotel County Hall on Friday. "It is what I have worked hard for. This is where I want to be. It always adds more pressure. I play many more matches now where I am a favourite. I think I have handled it well over the past couple of years.

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“I’ve always liked to play indoors. Growing up in Sweden, I’ve grown up on the surface so I go into every tournament with confidence. I feel good. I think I have had a good season and been very solid and played well throughout the whole year. The past week, winning my first [ATP World Tour] Masters 1000 title was great and I did it on a pretty similar surface to the one here in London.”

Soderling, who has recovered from a stomach bug, will meet British favourite Andy Murray in the first round robin match on Sunday. The pair has met on four occasions.

“I think every match has been even against Andy, they’ve always been tough matches. Even though three of them were a few years ago, they were close. It will be tough, but it will be close. I’ll have to play well to win. It not, it will be extremely difficult.

“He moves extremely well, returns well and doesn’t give you anything. He is an extremely tough player to play against and you always have to play well to beat him.”

Soderling’s Art of Tennis self-portrait was sold at auction for $5,100 on Thursday night. He admitted, “It was really nice to create it and it was for a good cause. It makes me happy that someone wants to buy it and help Children in Need.”