Roland Garros

Come the Sunday,8th of June,France will be geared up to witness a grand spectacle,history in the making,the final showdown!When The clock at Roland Garros strikes half past three, two men will walk on to the red clay court of Paris for the final battle........

One of them dressed in his sleeveless t-shirt matched by his long burmudas will be pacing the courts, taking long strides,making his intentions of winning the open very clear in his threatening,narrow eyes.He will be chasing his fourth successive French open title eying his date with history.......Hail the King of clay Rafael Nadal!Vamos Rafa!

The other is cool,calm,composed and collected and is so sure about his shots that it is indeed rare to see a mistake from this master.However as things would have it the French Open has eluded him these many years but knowing the Swiss Ace, he is sure to bounce back in the red clay courts of Roland Garros.Who knows Federer may well call the shots this evening!C'mon Roger!

The clay courts have always favoured players who are stong at the baseline due to its slow nature and high bounce.There is little to choose between the World No.1 and 2 be it the 'Nike' headbands which they sport or even physical measurements such as their height and the pounds they weigh-its all the same!Roger though holds the racquet as an artist would hold his brush while the left hander's grip is tight and domineering.France might be Nadals' domain but Federer would be looking to conquer it as well.As he puts it"I am thrilled to play Rafa and i am getting better with every match."Now those are strong words,Roger would be looking to shed his disappointments and cremate his earlier losses against Rafa and begin anew today.It remains to be seen whether Federer becomes another case of Pete Sampras who never got the better of clay courts.Experts say"Roger needs to use his drop shot more often while returning Nadal's service as Nadal stands a good 2-3 meters away from the baseline" Watch out...