Federer strengthens his case
PARIS — With his first French Open title, Roger Federer strengthened the argument he's the best tennis player ever.
He completed a career Grand Slam, something only five other men have done. He won his 14th major title to tie Pete Sampras' record. He played in his 19th Grand Slam final to match Ivan Lendl's record.
The stylish Swiss caught a break in Paris and made the most of it, winning the title by beating the man who beat Federer's nemesis, Rafael Nadal. Federer swept surprise finalist Robin Soderling 6-1, 7-6 (1), 6-4 Sunday.
"I don't know if we'll ever know who was the greatest of all time, but I'm definitely happy to be right up there," said the 27-year-old Federer, who plans to play into his 30s. "I think it should be judged at the very end, you know. How well did I do? Good? Great? Very good? Or medium? I don't know. It's for other people to decide."
On his fourth try in a Paris final, and first against someone other than Nadal, Federer came through. The list of Grand Slam champions who never won the French Open includes Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Stefan Edberg, Boris Becker and Sampras.
"I'm obviously happy for Roger," Sampras told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from Los Angeles, where he lives. "Now that he has won in Paris, I think it just more solidifies his place in history as the greatest player that played the game, in my opinion."
But is Federer — who acknowledged relief to avoid facing Nadal in the final — even the best player of his generation?
With the career Slam complete, the biggest blemish on Federer's resume is a poor record versus Nadal. Federer is 7-13 against the Spaniard and has lost the past three times they've met in Grand Slam finals.
Soderling, a Swede seeded 23rd, eased Federer's title path at Roland Garros by upsetting four-time defending champion Nadal in the fourth round.
Andre Agassi, the most recent man to complete the career Grand Slam when he won at Roland Garros 10 years ago, presented Federer with the trophy. The other men to win all four major titles were Roy Emerson, Rod Laver, Don Budge and Fred Perry.
The championship came after Federer lost to Nadal at the French Open and Wimbledon last year, and at the Australian Open in February. Federer also lost the No. 1 ranking to Nadal last August.
"Sounds like an Achilles' heel, but at the same time, what (Federer) has done is unmatched," Agassi said.
In the women's final Saturday, Svetlana Kuznetsova won her second Grand Slam title, beating top-ranked Dinara Safina 6-4, 6-2.
