rogerfederer.com - Roger reaches the final!

Roger reaches the final!

Roger is just one step away! He reached his eighth straight Grand Slam final today with a hard-fought 7-5, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (7) win over fourth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko at the French Open.

"It was one of the toughest matches I have ever played,” Roger said after his ninth victory in series against Davydenko. “It was very close and I could just as well have lost in three sets. I am extremely happy with this result.”

Roger is hoping to win a first Roland Garros title to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win the Grand Slam – four consecutive grand slam titles – a feat he acknowledged "would boost my career in an incredible way". Should Nadal win his semi-final it would certainly be the match of the year because of the stakes.

"If [Federer] wins the French Open, he'll be the greatest player of all time," said John McEnroe, who knows how much frustration clay can cause. McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg are among the grand slam champions who never won the French Open.

In beating Davydenko, Roger has reached his eighth consecutive major final, breaking the record he shared with Jack Crawford (1933-34). He has won 27 consecutive grand slam matches, three shy of the record Laver set in 1969-70. Roger’s last loss was the one to Nadal last year.

Way to go, Roger!