In Paris, Confident Federer, Vulnerable Nadal

It feels almost unsporting to characterize the best rivalry in men's tennis as anticlimactic. But that's what the showdowns between world No. 1 Roger Federer and No. 2 Rafael Nadal had approached over the past two years, with Federer holding sway on grass and hard courts, and Nadal peerless on clay.

The Swiss and Spaniard wielded such command over their respective surfaces that they vanquished challengers with the ease of lions batting away gnats with the swipe of a paw. But the balance of power in men's tennis underwent a seismic shift earlier this month in Hamburg, where Federer snapped Nadal's unprecedented 81-match winning streak on clay and, in the process, shattered any doubts about his potential to compile a résumé worthy of the greatest ever to play the game.

Whether Federer will achieve that status is unclear. Just 25, he already has won 10 Grand Slam events and is considered certain to pass Pete Sampras's record of 14 in time. But until the final in Hamburg, there was reason to question whether Federer would ever conquer the French Open -- the sport's only clay-court major, as well as the only major to elude him -- as long as Nadal, five years his junior, was still slugging away.

Federer couldn't have chosen a better time to end his futility: The eve of the French Open, which saw him bow out to the muscular Spaniard in the semifinals in 2005 and the final in 2006. With Federer's 2-6, 6-2, 6-0 victory in Hamburg, men's tennis suddenly got a lot more interesting. And Federer, who hardly needs his ego stroked, got a huge boost of confidence.

"I'm no longer afraid of this tournament," Federer told reporters at a news conference in Paris on Friday. "I'm not afraid of having to play five sets. I'm not afraid about being the favorite, and I want to win here more than ever."

Federer's breakthrough against Nadal reflected a bit of fatigue on the Spaniard's part and, more importantly, a shift in tactics on the part of the Swiss star.

After Federer dropped the opening set, U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe feared the match would end quickly, with Federer sticking to his familiar, losing pattern of trying to counterpunch with Nadal from the baseline. But he started serving better, attacking more and hitting bigger, deeper balls in the second set, pinning Nadal behind the baseline in nearly every rally. He also kept the rallies shorter and called on his full array of shots, the most prodigious in the men's game.

McEnroe wasn't the only one who was impressed with Federer's change-up.

"Psychologically, it's an enormous win," said Jim Courier, 36, a two-time French Open champion who now competes on the champions tour. "Federer had three match points against Rafa at the Italian Open last year and failed to put him away. I think that played on Roger's mind in the final of the French Open last year. He panicked a little bit and tactically played a poor match."

That said, McEnroe gives Nadal the edge at the French Open.

The clay is a bit harder at Roland Garros, which makes the ball bounce higher -- a complicating factor for Federer, or for anyone who opts to attack rather than defend.

"I don't see [Nadal] losing early; I don't see any way he could get upset," McEnroe said. "But if Federer comes out and it's a windy day, a hot day, there are a number of guys who could give him trouble on clay."

With the top U.S. men not expected to advance to the second round, it likely will fall to Serena and Venus Williams to spark American interest in the tournament.

The women's field isn't as formidable as the men's this year. Amelie Mauresmo is playing her way into form. Maria Sharapova's serve has deserted her. Belgium's Kim Clijsters recently retired at 23. And Martina Hingis is skipping the tournament entirely. That leaves three-time French Open champion Justine Henin the favorite, and Serena Williams her most intriguing challenger.

Williams's world ranking has fluctuated wildly in recent years as she has battled injury, personal loss and a loss of motivation. But she silenced skeptics by winning the season's first Grand Slam event, the Australian Open, with precious little preparation. And she has only gotten more fit and driven since, according to Fed Cup Coach Zina Garrison, who received an e-mail from Williams just last week in which she wrote about how excited she was about returning to the French Open for the first time since 2004.

Parisian crowds haven't always been kind to the tournament's 2002 champion. And the red-clay courts of Roland Garros demand that players be in the best physical shape.

"It's also a court where determination and the will to win can overcome everything," Garrison said in a telephone interview. "I think Serena herself is her biggest challenge: Keeping her body together for the full [two-week] French Open. Mind, body -- keeping it all together is going to be her biggest challenge."