Well, things are heating up. Just when it seemed Roger Federer's confidence had dipped enough to make a Rafael Nadal three-peat at Roland Garros a no-brainer, the world number one has gone and struck two off his critics' checklist of slump symptoms. First, he's won a tournament. Which he has not done for... a little while. He's back. And he's not about to forget how good it feels to win. Second, he's beaten Nadal on clay, and at a week before the French Open, the best time possibly for a confidence boost for himself and for putting a few doubts in the Spaniard's mind, especially since Nadal only managed two games against the Swiss after winning the first set in the Hamburg masters final...

So the forecast for Roland Garros has changed, indeed it has almost been reordered in a single match. Federer's back from his April hiatus and whatever doubts he may have had in recent weeks concerning his ability to win the French Open this year will have, if not been dispelled completely, are at least assuaged. The race for the calendar slam is ON. And with Federer's win over Nadal on the red dirt, we can at last describe their battle for supremacy as a legitimate rivalry. Make no mistakes though. Rafa's not about to just hand the title of King of Clay over to the Swiss maestro. For someone as intense as this bullfighter, his pre-match comments that it didn't matter if he won or lost the Hamburg final, that he was sufficiently prepared for his title defence at the French, made it quite clear he was ready to, to put it bluntly, tank the match to conserve his energy.

Compared to Federer, who lost early in Rome, Nadal has played a ton of matches in the run-up to the French, and the toll on his mind and body told in his matches at Hamburg. And while an 80-plus winning streak looks good on a resume, he may well be relieved to relieved of that lofty burden before he runs another streak of seven at Roland Garros. Whatever the case, the Hamburg final has made this year's French Open very, very interesting. The anticipation for a Federer-Nadal final is greater than it was last year, for unlike before, when it seemed Federer himself did not seem to believe he could beat Nadal, he now knows he can and he'll be going into the final against his nemesis with his A game knowing he's won the last time they played on clay. I'm getting ahead of myself of course, but unless Federer gets Guillermo Canas in his quarter, is anyone betting on anyone other than Fed and Rafa being in the final?

Nadal though is as close to a Spartan warrior as you can get in tennis, and he's mentally way too tough to let a single loss get to his head. If anything, I actually think the loss will compel him to even greater focus and intent at Roland Garros. There's a lot of bragging rights at stake here. One wants the slam, the other wants revenge. Federer, his Nadal-phobia assauged at last, firing freely versus Nadal, more tenacious and dogged than ever, his lefty topspin forehand out for blood. The stage is set. Bring it on.

My picks for Roland Garros:

The guys

1. Rafael Nadal - You can't bet against a man who won 81 straight matches on the surface and has never lost at Roland Garros.

2. Roger Federer- The last man to beat Rafa on clay and let's face it, the only man who can do it.

3. Novak Djokovic- If Rafa and Fed did not exist, Djokovic would stroll to the title. But they do, and one of them will stop the Djoker in the semifinals.

4. Nikolay Davydenko- He's struggled a little this year but has been consistently making the quarters and semis of the majors for the last couple of years.

5. Fernando Gonzalez- Based solely on his recent form and newfound control of that monster forehand, Gonzo should advance to week two at the French. But he won't get past Rafa or the Fed. Actually, no one will.

Others to watch for:

Guillermo Canas- His ability to send back would-be winners is second only to Rafa, but he's also ten years older than the young Spaniard and I'm not sure he can stand seven best-of-five matches. Still, someone who's beaten Federer twice in two weeks has to be in the mix.

Lleyton Hewitt- No longer the force he was in 2001-2, these days, he tends to sneak quietly through the draw before bowing out to the top players, but not without a mighty fight.

The ladies:

1. Justine Henin- 3 Roland Garros titles in four years. You can be 5-0 up against her in the final set and she'll still find a way to beat you. Tough as nails, this one, about the closest to a Rafael Nadal on clay as you get in the women's tour. Expect her to take a month off to recover afterwards though...

2. Serena Williams- Clay is not her favorite surface, not by a mile, but she is still a former champion, and that tells you something. When Serena is on, she is unbeatble, no matter what the surface.

3. Jelena Jankovic- Jankovic has been making big leaps up the women's rankings since the end of last year and has beaten all the top tenners bar Justine Henin. And even then, she's had the world number one on the ropes every time they've played. Expect her to stick around at the end.

4. Svetlana Kuznetsova- When Kuzzie's off, she's frustratingly pedestrian, but when she's on and that sledgehammer forehand is on fire, you realize why she won the US Open. She finally found a way to beat Justine this year but Jankovic has got her number now. I don't think she'll reach the final again this year, but she's pretty much a lock for at least the semis.

5. Ana Ivanovic- Ivanovic is the new Lindsay Davenport. She is the cleanest hitter among the up-and-comers and strikes the fuzz off the ball like good old Lindsay used to. Plus, she moves better than Davenport ever did. Still, like the amiable American, there are questions about her ability to go for the kill when she's got her opponent pinned down.

Others to watch for:

Amelie Mauresmo- Let the psychodrama that is Momo at the French begin! She's had a torrid clay court season so far and never does as well as she should at her home major. But still, alongside Henin and Hingis, she's one of the most elegant players on the circuit and if her head's screwed on tight, she's definitely a major threat.

Venus Williams- I was thinking Shazza or Daniela, but the former's nursing an injury... and her ego after winning a measly 5 games in two matches against Serena; Daniela meanwhile has a nasty habit of losing matches she should win. Sure, Venus hasn't beaten a top player this year, but like her sister, she loves being the underdog on a big stage and anyone who watched her go from zero to hero(ine) at Wimbledon '05 would know better than to count the elder Williams out.