Madrid Open 2012: Strong Showing Will Drive Roger Federer to Win at French Open

Roger Federer prevailed in the 2012 Madrid Open Masters and will carry momentum into the French Open in a week.

Federer fought back from down a set to comeback and defeat Tomas Berdych 3-6 7-5 7-5.

Now, Federer heads to Roland Garros, a place he's had success in his career.

He won the event in for the first time in 2009 and reached the finals last year before falling to Rafael Nadal.

However, Nadal fell to Fernando Verdasco in the third round at the Madrid Open, which means Federer will jump Nadal in the world rankings at No. 2.

His two main competitors are Nadal and Novak Djokovic, and neither looked impressive on the clay surface at Madrid.

That is the surface at Roland Garros for the French Open.

While Nadal complained and Djokovic struggled, Federer looked comfortable in his victory.

Federer has matched up with Nadal a few times this year, and the 30-year-old has played him tough.

He lost in the Australian Open Final in a close four-set match but defeated him at the BNP Paribas Open in the semifinal.

Moving to a slower surface should help Federer out. He is not as powerful as he used to be and has to rely on placement and finesse.

The soon-to-be No. 2 player in the world obviously can still hit the ball with velocity, but his game has transformed.

Federer has gotten off to a strong start in 2012 with four victories which include the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, BNP Paribas Open, the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship and the Madrid Open.

It is unique for a tennis player to still be this dominant at this stage of his career. However, Federer is still getting it done, and he has the game to win at Roland Garros.

He demonstrated this weekend at Madrid that he can win on a clay surface with Nadal at the tournament.

Even though he didn't face him head-to-head, Federer was the one that prevailed and not Nadal.

That could be the momentum Federer needs to carry him to victory at the 2012 French Open.