Will Madrid be turning point for Federer?

Roger Federer finally got some wind behind his sails and floated free of the shoals of self-doubt and a self-protective embrace of disappointment. We all know just how much that Roland Garros title means in the big picture; the French Open championship match could have a more profound impact on tennis history than any other major final. Federer has introduced a big question mark in the Roland Garros narrative, and revived the idea that he may yet win the clay-court major. If Federer wins at Roland Garros -- whether his final-round victim is Nadal or someone else -- Madrid will stand as the turning point.


The plot certainly thickened. Nadal not only enters Roland Garros on a losing streak but he also came within a point of losing to Novak Djokovic. Nevertheless, surely Federer and, to a lesser extent, Djokovic picked up considerable momentum. Who nad thought Federer's first title of 2009 would come against Nadal on clay. Novak is Nadal's half, who gave tough competition, 3 sets took almost 4 hours. Never mind Nadal's contention that the surface bears little resemblance to Paris. We're talking about one sloppy match here.

Nadal still remains the clear favorite to win still another French Open, but we should be more inclined to bet the field (the other 127 entrants). Players at least have some material evidence that he's vulnerable.