Federer Tries to Scale a Grand Canyon

Peals of laughter, plus an offer of a reality check, usually follow when these suggestive words are used about men’s tennis:

“A calendar Grand Slam.”

Doubters rule on this topic, for good reason. Only two men have accomplished the feat, winning all four majors -- the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open -- in the same year.

Don Budge did it in 1938, giving birth to the phrase “Grand Slam,” and Rod Laver did it twice, in 1962 and 1969.

Mats Wilander won three of the four in 1988, falling short at Wimbledon with a quarterfinal loss to Miloslav Mecir. The last man to win the first two Slam events in a season was Jim Courier in 1992.

But, these days, one name does not draw the usual vociferous doubts about a future Slam. With the French Open starting here Monday, Roger Federer of Switzerland has emerged as a Slam candidate.

“I think Federer can win the Grand Slam, certainly more than anyone else,” said television analyst Mary Carillo. “Federer is fluent on everything, and considering he lost in the first round last year, he can start lapping the field in the rankings with a halfway decent showing in Paris.”

Legend Jack Kramer, who played against Budge and spans the generations, says a Slam is possible for Federer, but notes the increased depth in today’s men’s game.

“It’s certainly always possible,” Kramer said. “Thinking of Don Budge or Rod Laver, Federer has a lot more great players to beat along the way in every tournament. If he does it, it really makes his accomplishments far greater than maybe anyone in the past.

“What Roger has been able to do, so far, is a lot more impressive for me than anyone in the past. If he does sweep the Slam, you’ve got to say, ‘How does he match up against Laver or what Pete [Sampras] was able to do on grass at Wimbledon?’ Roger has got it within his ability and grasp to become one of the super players of all time.”

Courier, though recognizing the difficulty of a calendar-year Slam, highlighted Federer’s versatility in calling the Swiss player the men’s “most realistic” prospect in years.

“He has every tool,” Courier said. “He moves well, defends the court, attacks beautifully, serves effectively and rises to the challenge of playing the big matches better than any of the current players. He has the extra gear that most players will never find, let alone use at the right time.”

Courier recalled that after winning the first two legs of the Slam in 1992, he felt rested and confident heading into Wimbledon. He lost in the second round.

“The pressure really only begins with three legs of the Slam in hand,” Courier said. “I felt no added pressure at Wimby.”

Federer, unlike many of his brethren, is a man of all surfaces. He is 32-3 in 2004, with four titles, and is 9-1 on clay. He won at Wimbledon last year in devastating fashion, losing one set in seven matches. So far this year, he has collected titles at the Australian Open, Dubai, Indian Wells and Hamburg, Germany.

The Hamburg win was impressive. Federer rolled through a highly regarded field, beating Gaston Gaudio of Argentina, Fernando Gonzalez of Chile, former French Open champion Carlos Moya of Spain, former No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt of Australia and Guillermo Coria of Argentina, ending Coria’s 31-match clay-court winning streak.

Federer, in an interview with The Times at Indian Wells in March, said winning the Slam was “almost impossible.”

He also marveled at Wilander’s performance of 1988.

“That is unbelievable effort,” Federer said. “For me, that is not a goal I set myself. I set myself more realistic goals.”

A solid performance in Paris, perhaps? Federer reached the quarterfinals in 2001, but he has lost in the first round the last two years, falling to Peru’s Luis Horna in 2003. Federer said he might have arrived in Paris feeling almost too good about his chances.

“The last two years, I went to Paris with very high hopes,” he told reporters after winning at Hamburg on May 16. “I thought, ‘If I had been in the quarterfinals in 2001 and had won Hamburg in 2002, I can do better at the French.’ That was what was tough for me mentally in the last two years. Now I’m more relaxed and know how to approach Grand Slams.”

On paper, his draw appears tough. After opening against a qualifier, Federer could play Nicolas Kiefer of Germany in the second round and three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil in the third. Also in his quarter of the draw are Australian Open finalist Marat Safin of Russia and David Nalbandian of Argentina.

Kuerten, however, has been idle since late April because of hip problems, and Safin has not had a good result on clay since reaching the semifinals at Monte Carlo in April.

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The two defending champions, Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain and Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium, arrive with minimal preparation. Henin-Hardenne, who will play wild-card entrant Sandrine Testud of France in the first round, has been down with a virus and announced only last week that she would attempt to defend her title.

Ferrero has battled chickenpox and a variety of injuries. He has not played since Monte Carlo and may have the most difficult first-round draw, facing Tommy Haas of Germany.

Six Americans are in one quarter of the draw, and one possibility is a quarterfinal between No. 2-seeded Andy Roddick and No. 6 Andre Agassi. Roddick plays veteran Todd Martin in the opening round. Among those missing in Paris will be Kim Clijsters of Belgium, Monica Seles, James Blake, Mardy Fish and Younes El Aynaoui of Morocco.

Serena Williams will be returning to play her first Grand Slam tournament since winning at Wimbledon in 2003. She is seeded second, behind Henin-Hardenne, and could play the resurgent and seventh-seeded Jennifer Capriati in the quarterfinals, then her older sister, fourth-seeded Venus Williams, in the semifinals.

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French Open

* When: Monday through June 6.

* Where: Paris.

* Top seedings: Men -- Roger Federer; Women -- Justine Henin-Hardenne.

* Last year’s winners: Men -- Juan Carlos Ferrero; Women -- Henin-Hardenne.

Slammed in Paris

The men’s tennis Grand Slam is a daunting challenge; beyond Rod Laver in 1962 and ’69 and Don Budge in 1938, only three other players -- Roy Emerson, Fred Perry and Andre Agassi -- have even a career Grand Slam. A French Open title is missing on the resume of a number of all-time greats. The players who have won Wimbledon and the Australian and U.S. Opens at least once, but never the French Open, with titles won in each of those tournaments:

*--* Player Aus. Wimb. U.S. Arthur Ashe 1 1 1 Boris Becker 2 3 1 Jimmy Connors 1 2 5 Stefan Edberg 2 2 2 John Newcombe 2 3 2 Pete Sampras 2 7 5 Frank Sedgman 2 1 2

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