Federer's focus on the French - 羅傑·費德勒 Federer

Federer's focus on the French

By Greg Garber
ESPN.com
Updated: May 24, 2007, 10:44 AM ET

Roger Federer is only 25 years old, yet many tennis aficionados believe he is
already the greatest player of all time. He has won 48 titles, more than $30
million, and 10 of the last 15 Grand Slam singles titles -- a ridiculous run
unequaled by any of the four men with more career majors.

But there is one yawning, burning hole in Federer's otherwise sparkling
resume: The French Open. Last year, he won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and
the U.S. Open, but -- as also happened in 2004 -- Federer couldn't win the
title in Paris.

Federer is 0-for-8 at Roland Garros. Last year -- the closest he has come --
Federer won the opening set in the championship final, 6-1, but lost the next
three to defending champion Rafael Nadal. Ultimately, it cost Federer the
Grand Slam.


"Maybe, you know, at the end of my career, I miss this moment to have it
again, to win the French Open right away today," Federer said afterward. "But
it didn't happen, so I've got to create this opportunity once again."

Despite an uncharacteristically inconsistent three months, Federer seems to
have done just that.

After losing all five of his matches on clay to Nadal, after failing to win
any of four straight tournaments -- the worst streak since he first ascended
to No. 1 three years and three months ago -- Federer finally broke through on
Sunday in Hamburg, Germany. He lost the first set of their championship final
2-6, then flayed Nadal with a 6-2, 6-0 flourish. It was only the third time
in 134 career clay-court matches that Nadal lost a set at love.


That was the end of Nadal's record 81-match winning streak on clay -- and the
beginning of a new dynamic between the two on dirt.

"I played excellent tennis today," said Federer, whose double-fisted,
primal-scream celebration after the win demonstrated how badly he wanted it.
"For my side, I'm going to the French Open very good."

It's possible that Federer wants to win at Roland Garros too badly. Before
Hamburg, he struggled by his Olympian standards. He lost to Nadal in the
Monte Carlo final and, shockingly, to Filippo Volandri in the third round at
Rome.

"I don't know what's wrong. I have to analyze myself," Federer said on May 10
after losing in straight sets to Volandri. "[I need to] get back on the
practice courts instead of the match courts."

Fact is, Federer has thought of little else since winning the Australian Open
in late January. Federer is a likeable champion. He is measured and
reasonably candid in his press conferences. But those close to him say he
aches to win this title -- this year. He is aware of his place in history and
he knows that Don Budge (1938) and Rod Laver (1962 and 1969) are the only men
to win all four majors in a single year. He would desperately like to join
their elite company.

"It sounds sick to say it, but it's a realistic goal," said American Todd
Martin, who now plays on the Outback Champions Tour. "When he's as close as
he was last year you have to say it can be done. He has a good chance this
year and, I think, he could still very well have a good chance in 2012."

"Now I'm again close to winning four in a row, basically," Federer said after
winning the season's first Grand Slam in Melbourne. "French Open is obviously
the next big one for me. I've made one step further every year now. I hope
it's going to work out for me, and I'm going to play well, hopefully win the
title.

"That will be a dream come true. That's the only way I can make this season a
better one than last year."

The 2007 clay-court season, however, began much as it ended in 2006. Nadal's
serve was never broken in a 6-4, 6-4 victory in the Monte Carlo final and he
improved his record against Federer on clay to 5-0.

Federer's forehand, his money shot, broke down in the first set. Thirteen
unforced errors on that side cost him the set and, ultimately, the match.
Afterward, Federer said he was encouraged.

"I think I'm absolutely in the mix with him on clay, which is how I wanted to
feel," Federer explained. "It's always disappointing to lose, but I feel like
I didn't play well, and still it was close.

"That's a good thing. It's going to come down to the French Open to see who
wins."

Federer's forward focus on Roland Garros may have been a factor in early
season losses. Federer almost seemed distracted as he walked through the two
hard-court ATP Masters Series events. After winning both titles at Indian
Wells and Miami in 2005 and 2006, he failed to reach the quarterfinals of
either, losing both times to an inspired Guillermo Canas.

"You know, it happens," Federer said. "You've got to expect a loss here and
there."

Clearly, Federer is not expecting a similarly early loss at Roland Garros.
History suggests he's headed in the right direction; after falling in the
first round in 2003, he progressed to the third round a year later, the
semifinals in 2005 and the final a year ago.

"This is a very good opportunity for Federer," said Jim Courier, who reached
three straight French finals from 1991 through '93, winning the first two.
"Every opportunity he gets the next five years, if he stays healthy, are good
ones. It seems like a two-man race. Anyone would be foolish to bet against
the two."

Still, after Nadal (14-0 lifetime at Roland Garros) and Federer, Novak
Djokovic -- who reached the finals in Indian Wells and Miami -- and, of
course, Canas must be considered threats.

Is this the year Roger Federer will complete the career Grand Slam?

Balls of ire
Federer's fire to win at Roland Garros in 2006 was stoked last year when he
lost three finals on clay to Nadal in a span of eight weeks. The final in
Rome that lasted 5 hours and 5 minutes seemed to be the critical-mass moment
for Federer.

Federer raced through the field at the French, beating three highly ranked
players (Tomas Berdych, Mario Ancic and David Nalbandian) to reach the final.
But in the last three sets, he appeared tentative.

While Federer's resolve may have been galvanized by the defeat, it probably
was sent into hyperdrive by subsequent comments by three-time champion Mats
Wilander.

"I think Roger Federer, today, unfortunately came out with no balls,"
Wilander said in a video interview posted on his Web site after the match. "I
think he choked from the first point to the last point because I don't
believe that he thinks he can beat Nadal from the baseline.

"Sports is about balls and about heart, and you don't find too many champions
in any sport in the world without heart or balls. He might have them, but
against Nadal they shrink to a very small size, and it's not once, it's every
time."

Privately, most experts agreed with the premise (if not the language) of
Wilander, who added that Federer suffered a "mental block in terms of tennis
smartness."

"He should have realized in the second set, surely, after two games, 'Wow,
I'm not hitting the ball quite as well, let me try going back to the game
plan,' which surely couldn't have been staying at the baseline as much as he
did," Wilander said.

"If he can't beat him from the baseline on hard courts, then he sure as hell
can't beat him from the baseline on clay. That's crazy."

"He froze a little bit," Courier said. "But he's also beaten Rafa [three
times] since … a win is still a win.

"Going into the final he was looking pretty snappy," observed tennis analyst
Mary Carillo. "Being aggressive is simple, but it's not easy. It's an
important distinction. Look at that match he played at the Italian Open; that
was gorgeous. Look how close he got there. We've seen tennis from Roger that
wins the French Open -- just not at the French."

Federer, who couldn't have missed Wilander's comments, has acknowledged that
he needs to play more aggressively on clay.


"He has a greater catalog of weapons than anyone I've ever seen," Martin
said. "I do believe he needs to be more aggressive against Nadal in general.
He needs to take the initiative, get to net, be more assertive and more
liberal with his choices.


"One of the things he does so much better than everybody else is he uses the
front of the court on the opponent's side. If he can use the slice backhand a
little bit better to bring Nadal forward, I think that's a good opportunity
to get in better positions in points."


Failure at the French is nothing new for some of the greatest men's champions
in history. Pete Sampras went 0-for-13 at Roland Garros; he appeared in the
1996 semifinals, but lost to Yevgeny Kafelnikov in straight sets. Jimmy
Connors was also 0-for-13, but reached four semifinals. John McEnroe went
0-for-10.


But all of those Americans learned the game on hard courts. Federer, like so
many Europeans and South Americans, built his game on clay.


After getting bounced from his second consecutive ATP Masters Series event
back in late March, Federer wasn't panicking.


"I'll be OK for the clay-court season," he said. "I'm looking forward to that
one. That is obviously a huge goal for me. Since the Australian Open,
everything has been planned down so I play well at the French Open."

The breakthrough result at Hamburg suggests that Federer is right on
schedule.

Greg Garber is a senior writer for ESPN.com.


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