June 10, 2007 -- PARIS - The French Open men's final is such a toss-up that the participants disagree about who's the favorite.
Roger Federer?
"Unbelievable player," Rafael Nadal said. "For that reason, he is the favorite."
Or maybe it's Nadal.
"He has already won the title twice," Federer said. "So I'd say he is a favorite."
They'll have to settle the matter on the court. And given the stakes, the final will be the match of the year.
Today, top-ranked Federer will bid for the only Grand Slam championship to elude him. Second-ranked Nadal will try to become the second man since 1914 to win the tournament three times in a row, the first since Bjorn Borg in 1978-81.
"I'm going to play against the best player in tennis history," Nadal said. "I think it's going to be a very beautiful match."
On that point, Federer agreed.
"It's going to be a wonderful, wonderful match," he said.
Federer is bidding for his fourth consecutive Grand Slam title, something last accomplished by Rod Laver in 1969.
"Honestly, I don't want to think about it too much," Federer said. "I've never achieved such a thing, so I don't know how I'll feel. But I want to do my best, keep focused on this match, and win Roland Garros.
"And that would open the door to the Grand Slam - four titles in one year."
Federer seeks his 11th major title, which would tie Laver and Borg for third on the career list. He can become the sixth man to win all four Grand Slam events - joining Fred Perry, Don Budge, Laver, Roy Emerson and Andre Agassi.
Nadal won a record 81 consecutive clay matches before losing to Federer in the Hamburg Masters final last month. That improved Federer's record to 4-7 against Nadal, including 1-5 on clay.
"I know now that I have defeated Rafa on clay in Hamburg," Federer said, "so maybe that will help me get on the right track."
Federer's bid to complete the career Slam was spoiled at Roland Garros each of the past two years by Nadal, who won when they met in the 2005 semifinals and the 2006 final.
![]() | Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. |
NEW YORK POST is a registered trademark of NYP Holdings, Inc. NYPOST.COM, NYPOSTONLINE.COM, and NEWYORKPOST.COM are trademarks of NYP Holdings, Inc.
Copyright 2007 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.