Just when tennis fans had started to think that the battle for
the men's French Open crown would be a one-horse race, Roger
Federer reminded them of his status as the best player in the
world.
Since April 2005, no one had been able to trip up claycourt
supremo Rafael Nadal on the slow surface.
The muscular Mallorcan had bullied into submission all those
before him, including Federer on five occasions, to string together
a record 81 wins on clay.
That run had looked set to continue at Roland Garros next week,
until Federer finally found the tools and the resolve to snap the
streak in the final of the Hamburg Masters on Sunday.
"Before, everyone thought the French Open would be easy for Rafa
but now it's going to be very interesting," Sergi Bruguera, twice a
champion in Paris in the 1990s, said.
The win -- greeted with an almighty roar from Federer -- not
only provided a timely boost to the Swiss master, it also helped
him to shake off any fears that had crept into his psyche over the
past few weeks.
He had arrived in Germany with his Roland Garros preparations in
disarray after going four tournaments without capturing a trophy --
his worst drought since he became world number one in February
2004.
With little warning, it seemed that the precise Swiss timing
that usually accompanied Federer's exquisite shots had broken
down.
The slump prompted him to abruptly sever his ties with part-time
coach Tony Roche, a former French Open champion under whose
guidance Federer had won six of his 10 grand slam crowns.
As Roche had been hired specifically to help Federer conquer his
shortcomings on red dirt, many questioned the 25-year-old's wisdom
in terminating his relationship with the Australian a fortnight
before the season's second grand slam.
NADAL BREAKTHROUGH
It took the world number one 10 days to prove he had the talent
and the brains to go all the way on his own.
"I got him, which is great for myself...it's absolutely a
breakthrough," Federer told reporters after coming from a set down
to beat Nadal on Sunday.
"It will be interesting to see how we both react to it in the
French Open.
"For me it's just nice to be playing well again. It's not that I
was playing so badly but it's my first claycourt title in a couple
of years so that's great.
"I'm feeling very good going into the French Open and I'm
excited it's coming around now."
Equipped with a brand of tennis which recent history suggests
should be a liability on the gruelling clay courts of Roland
Garros, the talented Federer can still be expected to quash most
rivals.
After adding double French Open champion Nadal to his list of
claycourt victims, Federer can concentrate on what he does best --
eyeing his date with destiny.
He aims to become only the third man after American Don Budge
and Australian Rod Laver to hold all four major titles at the same
time.
CAREFUL PREPARATIONS
"(Winning) the French might put me in another atmosphere in
terms of being a legend, because nowadays people want you to win
all four otherwise you've not quite done it," said Federer, who has
won six of the last seven slams but has yet to triumph at Roland
Garros.
Last year he also had a chance of replicating Budge's and
Laver's feat but months of careful preparations came to nothing
when he was undone by Nadal in the final.
Now, he knows he has the weapons to frustrate the Spaniard.
"Matches against Rafael help me...I've improved a lot by playing
against him. The more I play him, the more I'll figure out his game
and the easier it's going to get for me," said Federer.
Should Federer succeed he will trail Pete Sampras's all-time
record of slam victories by just three. He will also improve his
win-loss record to 11-1 in major finals, with his solitary defeat
coming to Nadal a year ago.
Such is his stature in the sport that talk of him completing the
Grand Slam was again in circulation even before a ball was hit in
the 2007 season.
Having kept the dream alive by retaining his Australian Open
crown in emphatic fashion in January -- when he became the first
man in 27 years to win a grand slam title without dropping a set --
he will want to ensure he does not miss out on his second chance in
Paris.
(China Daily via Reuters May 23, 2007)