Rafa falls at French

The way Federer express never slowed down, once it picked up top speed, I had sort of become used to the idea that great players, once they are on the rise are unstoppable until their inevitable fall starts. That's why I had almost believed even before the French open started this year that Nadal would be in the finals, and I had also hoped for his clash there once again with Federer. The latter doesn’t seem to me to be in the same form, I am used to seeing, yet his victory over Nadal on a recent clay court duel had raised the hopes that another match between the two greats was quiet possible. However, Rafa fell today to 23rd seed Soderling, who played the biggest match of his life to reach the quarterfinals of any grand slam ever. In my opinion, this is a historic moment in the world of tennis. Chances of Roger Federer winning French open are much higher, now, and if that happens, he equals Pete Sampras's grand slam total.

This also shakes Nadal's confidence a bit and at the same time raises Federer's that Nadal is surely beatable especially when he has just beaten Nadal a few weeks ago. Even though, over the last few year, Nadal has improved significantly on the other types of courts than clay, and has filled up the gap between him and Federer, my assessment is Federer still has an edge over him, and he has shown that over and over again. This years Australian open is a clear example where he had an upper hand but gave away a won final in the last set. I believe he choked and couldn't handle Nadal's weight that he has been carrying on his mind for many years, now. So, with his recent win over Nadal, the latter losing on his own court in the fourth round, and a French open title under his belt (provided he wins), Federer can regroup himself and go on winning other grand slams that will make him the man with the most no. of grand slam titles, making him the greatest ever of sorts. Only time will tell.