Any of you remember Robin Soderling? The big hitting Swede who has been able to take out Rafael Nadal in Roland Garros (2009)? He was ranked as high as #4 in the ATP rankings, only to check out of professional tennis due to a wrist injury topped with a spot of mononucleosis. He’s been absent from the sport for just over 2 seasons.

What has Robin Soderling been up to lately?

Apparently the Swede has been rather busy away from tennis, he’s become a father to a baby girl named Olivia (2012), and has created his own brand of tennis balls.

Yeah, I thought it was weird too. Why is Robin Soderling going to make a tennis ball under his name? Because he wants to give back, “I’m not doing this to get rich, but I want to give something back to the sport.” That’s pretty cool. His line of tennis balls, under the brand name “RS“, will be on the Swedish market soon and has already been approved for competition by the International Tennis Federation.

Robin Soderling on the current tennis balls in play

Seems that Soderling has his own opinions about the balls already on the tour, “Although the fact that there are some good balls used on tour, I haven’t come across a ball like how it is supposed to be. You have heavy balls that offer more control but rather can lead to injuries and light balls that quickly fly off in all directions. Therefore it was my goal to develop control and also offers not too burdensome for your body.“

Robin Soderling, now nearing 30 years old, isn’t sure when or if he’s going to return to the ATP tour. Considering his current ATP status is “inactive,” his return is going to be tough, so this Robin Soderling Tennis Ball venture is a pretty great idea for life after the game.

It would be neat to get my hands on a can of these tennis balls to see how they play; so, Robin, if you’re reading this, contact me so I can get some samples!