Soderling has never been past the second round in Melbourne but the Swede is determined that 2011 will be the year when he shows Aussie tennis fans what he's capable of. He arrives as fourth seed and more confident than ever after storming to the Brisbane title last week, taking out Andy Roddick in straight sets in the final.
"Beating the best players in the world gives you a lot of confidence and that's a big reason why I have played well the last couple of years because my confidence is very good - I've been beating a lot of good players," Soderling said. "Now I know I can do it it's just a matter of me keep doing it, not only once or twice a year but do it every week."
"I don't know why I haven't played well here before. I've been doing the same things and I think these conditions, they should suit me really well.”
All the attention is on Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer when it comes to discussing potential Aussie Open champions. Soderling's name has not been bandied around that much as a possible winner but that does not bother him.
"They're No.1 and 2 in the world, they're the best players but I never felt that the gap was very big and there's some other good players. I think there's 10 or even 15 guys who can actually win the big tournaments like the Grand Slams. But, of course, Roger and Rafa will always be the favourites in every tournament they're playing."