Thaindian News

With Rafael Nadal out of the tournament very early for his own liking, Roger Federer, at present placed in the second position in the ATP rankings, is the only other player likely to win the French Grand slam. For the last three years, the French title has eluded the former no.1. But he is in the finals now and with Nadal, his nemesis not around, Federer could well go on to become the sixth player to complete a sweep of all the Majors.

A win in the finals would also mean that he will be at par with the legendary Pete Sampras who has a record of 14 Grand slam crowns.

However, getting into the finals of the 2009 French Open was not so easy for the Swiss. In the semi-finals he was able to score a win over Martin del Potro, but only after a grueling and exhausting game of five sets. His semi- final win was characterized by a dramatic 3-6 7-6 (7-2) 2-6 6-1 6-4 victory.

This was not the first time in the tournament that Federer had been taken to the fifth level. In the fourth round he was taken the same distance by Tommy Hass.

Upon overcoming the final hurdle en route to the finals, the 27 year old Federer said, “It feels great to come through hard matches like these.” He further added, “It is more emotional, more satisfying. And I still feel fine.” In the early phases of the match, Federer was completely outplayed by his opponent,the 20-year-old Del Potro, although it was Porto’s maiden semifinal. But as they say “all’s well that ends well”, the semi-final ended well for Federer and we hope that so would the tournament.