Gonzo really gave the Fed scares today with taking the first set 6-2 and breaking the man 3 times in one set but he did fade after that and lost the next sets pretty comfortably to Roger. Gonzo seemed like a man who did not believe after not managing to break Federer’s serve in the first game of the third set when he was 40-0, and after that the result was never in doubt.

Next up for Roger is the resurgent Monfils who dominated Ferrer in 4 sets to reach his first Grand Slam semis. While Monfils has lost his last match to Federer on clay already, he will certainly have a chance depending on which Federer showing up for the match. Federer of today’s 1st set is easily beatable whereas the Federer of the last 3 sets is close to unplayable. Great effort by Gael though as Ferrer was picked by many “experts” to reach the Final this year.

The French Open 2008 draw came out and the top seed got another easy draw this year. Roger Federer not only managed to avoid the likes of Nalbandian and Djokovic, he practically has to face no major player until the quarterfinals. No offense to Same Querrey, but Federer should handle him easily on clay. Nadal on the other hand should go through Nalbandian and Djokovic to get to the final. Of course, we all know that if the real Nadal shows up, he is pretty much the heavy favorite to beat everyone including Federer this year. So here are my predictions for the French Open (and no, I will not pick a dark horse to win the French this year):

Quarters:

Federer vs. Andreev

Davydenko vs. Ferrer

Berdych (this is really tough to pick!) vs. Djokovic

Nadal vs. Nalbandian

Semis:

Federer vs. Davydenko

Djokovic vs. Nadal

Final:

Federer vs. Nadal

Winner: Nadal (4 sets).

So barring a surprise or an injury, this is Nadal’s tournament to lose. Djokovic or Nalbandian will not be able to challenge Nadal in a best of 5 sets match on clay, and that is also the case for Federer. This year is very different than last year as Nadal will also be a favorite to win Wimbledon. We could possibly have a new No. 1 by the end of Wimbledon!

If you told me at the end of last year that Nadal’s No. 2 position would be in jeopardy  in May this year, I wouldn’t have believed you. But that’s exactly the case in Hamburg. In essence, if Nadal doesn’t reach the semis and Djokovic wins the tournament, Djokovic will be the new No. 2. Not only that, Djokovic can pave the way for capturing the No. 1 position if Federer fails to reach the semis again.

Unfortunately for Djokovic, he will be No. 3 at the French Open which means he will have to go through Nadal and Federer for the title. He may do that, but it’s too tough of a task for him. But he has shown that unlike Federer, his game is consistent enough to win on clay and possibly at Roland Garros.