This is the matchup everyone was waiting for – Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal playing for the French Open title. Men’s tennis is in desperate need of a high-profile rivalry to reinvigorate the sport, and this match could be the beginning of a great one:
For Federer, the pressure is self-imposed. He has already won the other three Grand Slams — the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open — but the French Open will always remain the most difficult because the clay negates his power game. If Federer wins Sunday’s final, he not only will hold all four Grand Slam singles titles simultaneously but also will be halfway to a calendar Grand Slam, not accomplished since Rod Laver in 1969.
Those close to Federer say he wants this one very badly. The fact that he has now won 27 consecutive Grand Slam matches, second on the all-time list to Laver’s 29, suggests it is possible.
Nadal is playing for history, too. He has never lost a French Open match; the win over Ljubicic raised his record to a pure 13-0. At the age of 20, he would be the youngest man to repeat at Roland Garros since Bjorn Borg in 1974-75.
Commentators are already comparing Federer to the all-time greats, and a win at the French Open would put him near the top of that list. But Nadal is a great talent and is the best player on clay. It should be a great match.
