Madrid Open 2012 Scores: Roger Federer Proves He's Player to Beat at French Open

Roger Federer has never looked better on clay than he did during the 2012 Madrid Open. Federer capped off this impressive run by beating Tomas Berdych in the finals 3-6, 7-5, 7-5. 

Make no mistake about it: This was a statement win for Fed. He is in top form. 

Berdych had beaten the legend in three of their past five meetings, but Federer has been surging back to top form and that was clear in this match. 

Federer has made strides in two key areas to regain his dominance. He is on-point with his serve, and his groundstrokes are lethal.

These are staples of Fed's game, but have slipped as he has slid from his No. 1 ranking. 

His crushing groundstrokes came up huge against Berdych as he rallied from his early deficit. He used this to break Berdych twice in the decisive third set. 

Prior to this championship match, it was his serve that was propelling him to victory, and it has been strong all year. 

On the year, he is connecting on 61 percent of his first serves, and is winning 79 percent of those points. 

When Federer is dominating in these two areas, he is virtually impossible to beat. 

His first serve allows him to control points, and sit back while picking spots to launch blistering forehand winners. 

That forehand also allows him to steal valuable breaks. While the slower clay surfaces have never been his strength, he can still use these tools to propel him to victory—just as he did at the Madrid Open. 

Federer will still be fighting for favorite status at the French with Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, but they both showed signs of vulnerability at this tournament—signs that Federer did not show. 

The tennis legend will ride this momentum to win his second French Open title.

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