Rafael Nadal's smashing performance over Roger Federer in the Italian Open is just a prelude to the 2013 French Open.
The Rome Masters is now Nadal's third consecutive victory, his sixth this season, and he has reached the finals in every tournament. Talk about consistency; that alone gives him a favorable advantage entering Roland Garros.
Wiping Federer off the court, though, after doing to same to Tomas Berdych in Italy's semifinals is straight up impressive. Now factor in Nadal's dominance over the years at the French Open and there is every reason to expect he'll win it again.
So here we are on the brink of the French Open, and it sure looks like the same view we've had for every year but one since 2005 (Nadal is 52-1 at Roland Garros with seven titles in eight tries).
Although Noavk Djokovic took the victory over him in Monaco, Nadal has polished off his game quite well since. On the flip side, Djokovic and the rest of the top competition have not met expectations by comparison and enter France desperately needing to respond.
On Monday, Nadal leap-frogged fellow countryman David Ferrer for the No. 4 ranking on ATPWorldTour.com. Federer slid ahead of Andy Murray into the No. 2 spot, while Djokovic still holds true at No. 1.
That said, Federer's increase can also be attributed to Murray's withdrawal from the Italian Open in Round 2. As a result, Murray may miss this year's Roland Garros. According to BBC Sport, Murray's mother Judy commented on the situation:
"It's not so easy on the clay. There is a lot more twisting and turning. He needs to be cautious and I'm sure Wimbledon will be his priority."
Murray's potential absence would only make things easier for Nadal. And after dismantling Federer for another clay-court victory, Djokovic remains the best of competition by a wide margin.
Regardless of who Nadal faces, though, that challenger will be at a disadvantage. Nadal is simply rolling right now and everything is pointing toward another French Open title.
Having won it three straight seasons, taking a fourth consecutive title will vault him higher into the rankings. That would make things extremely interesting with Wimbledon on deck.
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