French Open goal looks easier now, says Federer

The Swiss star upset clay court king Rafael Nadal in the Spanish capital and ran into form at the right time with only four days to go for the French Open.

The Madrid masters win was only his second on clay in 11 attempts against the great Spaniard.

Federer admitted he was unsure of his chances of winning at Roland Garros until the win over Nadal, which in his mind proved that he could still beat the best in the world.

"I think everything is falling into place. I kind of felt it coming the last few weeks," Federer said.
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"This year it looked like other guys might be moving up but I always knew that I was going to get stronger week by week on clay.

"So it's a nice feeling and I'm very excited going into Paris now whereas maybe a couple of weeks ago I was still a little bit unsure about my game and not sure whether I could win the French and now that's changed."

Despite beating Nadal in Madrid, Federer still insisted the world number one was still the man to beat at the French Open where he has won the last four years and beaten Federer in the last three finals.

Already the pretenders to Nadal's world No 1 throne are talking up their chances against the great man on clay.
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Novak Djokovic, a long-time chaser of tennis' top prize believes he has the found the key to beating Nadal on the slowest of surfaces.

Nadal, admitted after a tough game against Djokovic that the Serb "was playing it high and soft, and in these conditions, it was tough to attack him. I really had to be patient."

But Djokovic was quick to add that it still remains a challenge to beat Nadal on clay. "Playing Nadal on clay is a challenge in itself," the Serbian admitted.

"You need to get your tactics right. But I really do think that one day, I'll be able to beat him on
this surface."

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