Roger Federer: Loses a Match, But His Fans and His Game Still Intact

Well, Roger fans, he lost another epic match against Nadal. 

Although we have seen a pattern here from the last five years, there are some encouraging signs that Federer will be looking at moving forward to Rolland Garros.

First, the Madrid finals match was a tight affair. 

The momentum was not one sided, and to say that Nadal dominated would hardly be fair to anyone watching the match. 

Federer seems to have the continued problem of cashing in on his break points. There were certain areas of his game where his unforced errors cost him. 

However, if we take a look at Nadal's projected rise to form and compare it to Federer's, the differences are very stark. 

Nadal started his form at the very start of clay season and arguably just before it. He has consistently dominated in Monte Carlo, Rome and Madrid, opting out of Barcelona.  

Federer on the other hand, did not peak until Madrid, and even then only since his match with Ernest Gulbis. The fact that Federer's peak was so much shorter than Nadal's, he still managed to make the match close and bodes well for his French Open title defense.

Nadal with his constant knee problems may or may not decline a bit by the time the finals roll around, assuming he'll get to the final. Federer, who hasn't dominated the Masters series in a while, is peaking at just the right time.

Yes, Nadal must be riding high in confidence, and, yes, Federer again lost to his arch rival. 

However, it should be noted that both of them are at a similar level and if Federer continues to peak, he will have more than a fighting chance in the French final, again assuming he makes it that far. 

Federer is now entering the Grand Slam's best of five set format. He must be confident that he competed with Nadal in a close match, in which Nadal was in great form and he had only started being so. 

Onward to Paris!!