French Open Betting / Barry Millns / 23 May 2008 /

Barry Millns considers what it takes to be a French Open champion and if Federer has the necessary weapons to do so. He also takes a trip down memory lane to recall some of Court Philippe Chatrier's greatest moments from down the years

Three months away from the Olympic Games and still two grand slams short of equalling Pete Sampras' record of 14, Roger Federer has plenty to aim for through the rest of the season. But if he could only claim one more major title in his glittering career then it would have to be the French Open, for which he is currently trading at [5.9] to do so two weeks on Sunday.

The Swiss superstar knows better than anyone that in order to be regarded as the undisputed greatest player the game has ever produced, he has to lift that elusive trophy on Court Philippe Chatrier at Roland Garros at some point in his career. Yet after his latest loss to the much younger Rafael Nadal in the Hamburg Masters Series final, the 26 year-old Federer must wonder if he ever will.

Federer will be determined not to join the list of former world No.1s who failed in the past to complete their collections of grand slams by coming up short in Paris. John Newcombe, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg were all thwarted there, as was Sampras who once told me he would have gladly swapped one of his seven Wimbledon crowns for a single coronation in the French capital.

All five of those past greats were far more successful on faster surfaces, notably grass and hard courts. The lack of speed on clay means it is much harder to make attacking weapons count and in the long rallies which tend to ensue the ability to defend, retrieve and remain more patient than opponents is paramount.

Multiply all that by having to win seven best-of-five set matches to take the title and you start to appreciate how tough a challenge it is. Likewise if the Parisian crowd don't like your effort or apparent lack of it they can quickly get on your back, whistling, jeering and booing their displeasure, even at one of their own.

French stars Richard Gasquet [190] and Amelie Mauresmo [85], who have both struggled in past seasons to cope with the weight of national expectation, certainly know what that is like. Back in 1988 Henri Leconte's decline under such treatment in the final against Mats Wilander clearly left some scars.

More recently Martina Hingis' meltdown in the 1999 final, when she came in for some fearful derision, sent her running tearfully off court and five years ago Serena Williams was reduced to tears by Justine Henin and the crowd over a controversial moment in their semi-final.

But if they love you, then that is another matter entirely and the atmosphere in the around the three main show courts can be truly spine-tingling. As with any slam there are usually one or two matches during the fortnight which capture the imagination and produce thrilling drama and when it comes to finals, in nearly 20 years of covering the toughest major of them all I would pick out the following:

Monica Seles' 10-8 final set triumph over Steffi Graf in 1992; Andre Agassi's recovery from two sets to love down to beat Andrei Medvedev in five in 1999 (when the American became only the fifth man ever to win all four grand slams); Jennifer Capriati's 12-10 epic decider against Kim Clijsters in 2001 and the all-Argentine final of 2004 when the unheralded Gaston Gaudio lost the first eight games against clear favourite Guillermo Coria but came back to beat him 8-6 in the fifth after saving championship points in the process.

They all took my breath away as did the artistry of the likes of Gustavo Kuerten, who famously drew a heart in the clay with his racket on clinching his third Roland Garros title in 2001 and then collapsed on his back with arms spread in jubilation, exhaustion and relief. It is a truly formidable fortnight and Rafa's unbeaten exploits there are incredible so just imagine what Federer will do if he wins!

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