I'm getting ready to settle in an watch the Roland Garros men's singles final featuring the top two players in the world. This is a hugely important championship--probably the most important match in the sport since last year's Wimbledon final, also between Federer and Nadal. Had the Spaniard won that contest last July, it would have represented a seismic shift in the balance of power in upending Federer on grass, where he has been most dominant. Rafa put up a good fight, but after losing on Centre Court, he was not much of a factor for the remainder of 2006.
The significance of today's showdown is whether Roger Federer can unseat Nadal's lockhold on the French Open since 2005. Nadal has never lost in Paris. But Federer's recent victory over his rival in Hamburg on clay suggests he may have the confidence (and perhaps the game plan) to prevail. If the world #1 can win, he'll add the last missing piece of the puzzle to an amazing array of titles, hold all four majors at once, and keep his chances for a calendar year Grand Slam alive (and he'd be the odds-on favorite to repeat at both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open). Moreover, he'd make it much easier for folks to declare him the best player ever.
Bring it on!
