Fernando Verdasco has overcome Robin Soderling 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 to win Barcelona and says he’s ready to go deep at Roland Garros.
Verdasco, who won San Jose earlier this year and reached the Monte Carlo final, says the only man he’s a little afraid of is another Spanish left-hander, Rafael Nadal, who blew him out 6-0, 6-1 in the Monte Carlo final.
"Nadal is a tough proposition on clay and he's one or maybe even two levels above everyone else," Verdasco said. "But I really feel like I can beat anyone else right now and I think I have a good chance of making more finals on clay. The important thing is to get to Roland Garros in good shape. I feel like I have made a lot of progress mentally over the past year and I can cope better on the days when maybe not everything is going quite right."-M.C.