Roger Federer in It To Win It: French Open Final Four

World No. 1 and four-time defending champion Rafael Nadal is not among them. Neither is Novak Djokovic. Andy Murray has also gone by the wayside.

After all the carnage, Roger Federer is the only one of the “Big Four” left standing. As a result, the 13-time Grand Slam champion is the odds-on favorite to capture his first title at Roland Garros and equal Pete Sampras with 14 slams.

He also tops the French Open power rankings heading into the final weekend.

Roger Federer

Federer has actually made his way through the French Open draw in the least convincing fashion of all the semifinalists. But who really cares? At this point in a Grand Slam event, it’s easy to argue that big-match experience is far more important than current form.

Federer, of course, owns 13 Grand Slam singles titles, just one less than Sampras. The other three semifinalists have combined for a total of zero. While it is far from certain that Federer is playing the best tennis of the last four players, he most definitely has a massive mental advantage.

And it’s not like Federer’s current form isn’t impressive. After struggling throughout the first week of the tournament, the world No. 2 sent French foe Gael Monfils packing in straight sets. If Federer plays like that this weekend, the career Grand Slam is his.

Fernando Gonzalez

Gonzalez should be the No. 2 contender behind Federer due to both experience and current level of play. The Chilean has, in fact, been to one Grand Slam final. He was in devastating form at the 2007 Australian Open before he was subdued by—you guessed it—Federer in the title match.

Gonzo has not exactly set the tennis world on fire in Paris like he did in Australia (mainly because his competition hasn’t been as notable), but he could be playing just as well. Gonzalez blasted his first four opponents in straight sets before ousting world No. 3 Andy Murray in four sets. It was not, however, a competitive four sets.

Robin Soderling

This is not the final four any could have expected, but at the same time, it says a lot about the quality of the last four men remaining: that the man who toppled Nadal, and lost a mere five games to Nikolay Davydenko, is only No. 3.

Soderling is simply on fire at the moment. The Swede was in scorching form at the World Team Championships leading up to the French Open, and he clearly has not looked back. If Soderling continues to perform like he did against Nadal and Davydenko, it’s hard to imagine anyone (even Gonzo and his ridiculous forehand) staying on the court with Soderling.

Still, Soderling’s Grand Slam experience—or lack thereof—is a question mark. Will the moment finally catch up with him? If it doesn’t, the other three contenders better watch out!

Juan Martin Del Potro

Just how well are the last four competitors playing right now? Del Potro sits at No. 4 in the rankings—and I think it’s undisputed that he belongs at No. 4—despite having not lost a set en route to the semifinals.

Yes, the 20-year-old Argentine is in rare form at the moment, although it’s not rare for him. He has been displaying this kind of tennis ever since he won four straight ATP tournaments last summer in between Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. So far this season, he has reached at least the quarterfinals in all but one of his tournaments.

Del Potro has been destroying people in Paris, including Tommy Robredo in the quarterfinals. However, his competition has been the least imposing of the final four.

Federer, naturally, will be a whole different beast, and—as is the case with Soderling—this is uncharted Grand Slam territory for Del Potro.