French Open - Countdown: Men to watch

Roger Federer's chances to complete the career Grand Slam at Roland Garros are waning, while Rafael Nadal's dominance on clay is not.
The king of kings of clay: Rafael Nadal

Rafa's countless claycourt records cannot begin to describe his historic skill on the slow dirt. Nadal's dominance over the clay of Roland Garros has been absolute since he won the Coupe des Mousquetaires as a teenage debutant in 2005. After another storming clay season, capped off with a revenge win over Roger Federer in the Hamburg final, Nadal looks set to maintain his undefeated record in Paris. The only chink in his armour this year came in the second round of the Rome Masters , where a blister cost Rafa his second claycourt defeat in three years. A similar incident in the French capital may be the only hope for his rivals.

The legend: Roger Federer

If Nadal is the greatest-ever player to step on a claycourt, Roger Federer is likely the greatest-ever to step on a tennis court. The fact that the two men's careers have overlapped to such an extent has been one of the happiest coincidences in the history of the sport, and perhaps one of the worst bits of luck for Federer's Roland Garros career. Without Rafa in the picture the last three French Open titles would almost certainly belong to the world number one, who would have by now surpassed Pete Sampras' all-time Grand Slam record of 14 by two majors. In our fictional world, Federer would not only have the career Slam, but also two successive calendar Slams in 2006 and 2007. But the Federer v Nadal rivalry has already defined the era, and no one - least of all Federer - would want it any other way.

The not-so-new kid on the block: Novak Djokovic

Serbia's first-ever Grand Slam champion is considered by some to be the biggest danger - blisters aside - to Rafael Nadal's claycourt supremacy. The Australian Open winner gave Nadal a brilliant match in the Hamburg semi-finals, before ultimately capitulating 7-5 2-6 6-2 in a three-hour epic. The 21-year-old Rome Masters champion is never short of confidence, however, insisting that the whole world knows how comfortable he is on the dirt. Djokovic puts it simply. "I grew up on clay."

Koyla the obscure: Nikolay Davydenko

A perennial contender/pretender, the world number four has reached the last four at Roland Garros in three of the last four years, each season falling just short of a coveted final appearance. The Russian, known back home for his anonymity more than anything else, would go a long way towards dispelling his image as Koyla the obscure by overcoming that last hurdle and reaching a Grand Slam final. But despite a fine start to the claycourt season, including a runner-up performance in Estoril and semi-final showing in Monte Carlo, Davydenko still looks nowhere near the level of the top-three.

The danger man: David Nalbandian

The Argentine number one rivals Marat Safin for the mantle of biggest wasted talent of his generation. Nalbandian reminded everyone of this fact last fall when he stunned Nadal and Federer twice each in successive Masters tournaments, demonstrating the sparkle that saw him come within one match of winning Wimbledon at the age of 20. Those titles in Paris and Madrid seem light years away, however, as Nalbandian has limped into the French Open with early exits in Barcelona and Rome.

The other Spaniard: David Ferrer

The world number five has emerged in the last year as a serious Grand Slam contender backing up a semi-finals appearance at Flushing Meadows with a quarter-final showing in Melbourne. Ferrer had a very solid spring, claiming his home title in Valencia and pushing Rafa to three sets in the Barcelona final before eventually succumbing to the world number two. The hard-hitting Spaniard is perfectly capable of upsetting his higher-ranked compatriot on grand occasions, as he proved in their classic US Open encounter last year. But after a pair of poor performances in Hamburg and Rome it's hard to imagine Ferrer taking his chance again, should it come.

The Muzza: Andy Murray

Considering his less-than impressive record on clay, you may wonder why we've included the British number one in this list. False hope is the name of the game here, my friends. Seriously though, Alex Corretja has helped Murray make progress during this clay season and he should vastly improve on his only previous appearance in Paris - a first-round exit in 2006. As an 11th seed A-Mur has a very good shot at reaching the second week. And from there anything can happen, right?

The longshot: Stanislas Wawrinka

The Swiss number two has burst into the world's top-ten in 2008, finally appearing capable of realising the potential of his youth when he won the 2003 French Open Junior title. Stanislas the Manislas has been hit-or-miss this year, but his hits have included a runner-up showing in Rome and a semi-finals appearance in Barcelona. He could suffer a shock first-round exit, or could end up being a shock semi-finalist.

The spoiler: Nicolas Almagro

The talented 22-year-old has been an absolute star on this surface in 2008, winning titles in Brazil and Mexico, reaching a final in Valencia and making the quarter-finals in Barcelona and Rome. Like Warinka, Almagro is incredibly boom-or-bust. Still, we like his chance of causing an early upset or two.

And the rest: The former Oz Open runner-up Fernando Gonzalez won a claycourt crown in Munich this year, but has struggled with injuries of late. Lleyton Hewitt is another big-name who is hoping to recover from fitness issues in time to contend, while Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is hoping to repeat his Melbourne heroics for the home fans in Paris. Former champions Carlos Moya and Juan Carlos Ferrero are always capable of going far in Paris, while their fellow Spaniard Tommy Robredo should not be discounted on clay either. Other challengers include James Blake, Tomas Berdych, Juan Monaco, and Igor Andreev .

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