Roger Federer Will Overcome Recent Struggles and Reach French Open Final

The 2013 season hasn't exactly been kind to Roger Federer, but thanks to a perfect draw and an incredible track record of success, the Swiss legend will find a way to reach the French Open final.

While the French Open is just Federer's seventh tournament of the year, he is incredibly without a title. His only final appearance came in the recent Italian Open, where he lost to Rafael Nadal in straight sets, but getting to that point was actually a positive step for Fed.

Federer had exited several tournaments early by losing to inferior opponents, such as Julien Benneteau, Tomas Berdych and Kei Nishikori. Simply making it to the final had to boost his confidence, despite the fact that the undisputed clay-court king took him out with relative ease.

Luckily for Federer, the earliest he would have to deal with Nadal at Roland Garros is the final. In fact, Federer would seem to have an incredibly easy road to that point. Not only is Rafa on the opposite side of the draw, but so is world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, so Federer is easily the most accomplished player on his side of the bracket.

Federer's French Open got off to a great start, whereas Nadal actually labored a bit to get through his first-round opponent. Fed took care of Spaniard Pablo Carreno-Busta in straight sets and was never tested, according to BBC Sport. Nadal actually dropped the first set of his match to German Daniel Brands, but he rebounded to win in four.

It probably isn't worth reading too far into Nadal's performance, but Federer's confidence is likely growing after seeing Nadal scuffle. Federer can already see the writing on the wall in his half of the draw as the only person who can beat him is himself, but watching Nadal labor probably gives him even more incentive to reach the final.

Of course, Federer must take care of his business before he can get to that point. His second-round opponent is the unheralded Somdev Devvarman of India. While it isn't fair to write someone off, it's hard to imagine Federer having much trouble. After that, things get a bit trickier, but it is nothing Fed won't be able to traverse.

He'll take on an old rival in Benneteau next, in all likelihood followed by either Gilles Simon or Sam Querrey. His first big test will come in the form of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarterfinals, followed by a potential date with David Ferrer in the semis. A semifinal match against Berdych was possible, and it could have given Fed some trouble, but Berdych was shocked by Gael Monfils in the first round.

That means it should essentially be smooth sailing for Federer from here to the final. There are obviously no guarantees, as Federer has proven capable of losing to lesser opponents in recent weeks and months, but Fed generally turns up his game in Grand Slam tournaments, as evidenced by his 17 career Grand Slam victories.

Federer has won every Grand Slam at least four times with the exception of the French Open, as he has only captured one title at Roland Garros. As tough as it may be to fathom due to Nadal's dominance, Federer may be one of the greatest clay-court players of all time in his own right.

In addition to his one French Open title, Federer has reached four French Open finals, losing to Nadal on each occasion. Provided Federer plays up to his potential and doesn't allow the easy draw to lull him into a false sense of security, he should receive a fifth shot to knock off Nadal at Roland Garros this year.

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