Revived Federer chases history

UMPIRE'S POST

As the French Open begins today, the Swiss number one's challenge looks more credible than ever before.

A week, they say, is a long time in sport. Just how long was revealed last Sunday when Switzerland's Roger Federer beat number two Rafael Nadal of Spain 2-6, 6-2, 6-0 in the final of the Hamburg Masters tennis tournament. Rarely has the world's number one tennis player beating the number two evoked so much excitement. But none of that is without reason.

The win ended Federer's worst slump "" four tournaments without a title "" since becoming number one. The lowest point was his defeat "" 6-2, 6-4 "" to Italy's Filippo Volandri, ranked 53rd, in the third round of the Rome Masters. Just before the clay season began, Federer had lost twice to Argentina's Guillermo Canas on the US hardcourts, a surface on which he usually wins. Soon after this, he ran into Nadal in the Monte Carlo final on clay, where the Spaniard re-emphasised his mastery over the Swiss. Soon after losing to Volandri, Federer sacked his coach, Australian Tony Roche, who was originally supposed to be with him through the clay season.

Nadal's story was quite the opposite. Before the Hamburg final, he had won 81 consecutive matches on clay "" a record for a one-surface run and a feat that will inspire awe a few years from now.

"It's absolutely a breakthrough. It will be interesting to see how we both react to it in the French Open," said Federer, who seems obsessed with winning this year's French Open, much like Peter Sampras, who dominated the pre-Federer era on every surface but failed to win the French.

If Federer wins in Paris, it will be his first crown there and will make him only the third man, after American Don Budge and Australian Rod Laver, to hold all four grand slam titles at the same time.

But clay is a surface unlike any other. The ball clings to it just a tad before bouncing, giving an advantage to players who stay behind the base line and give it an almighty whack. You get less time to play strokes on a hardcourt, and only a fraction of it on grass, on which fast, skidding serves can win the day for you. That's how Gustavo Kuerten (three times), Sergi Bruguera (twice), Albert Costa, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Andres Gomez and Gaston Gaudio have won the French, although little else.

But if we go back a little longer, the list also throws up names like Yannick Noah, whose serve-and-volley game was more suited to grass, and Bjorn Borg, who won five times at Wimbledon, played on grass, to go with his six French crowns. Federer, with his all-court artistry, can add to that list.