The last clay-court Masters Series event of the season offers the last chance for a number of players to regain form or carry on momentum through to Roland Garros. Hamburg hopes and expects to see King of Clay Rafael Nadal in action this week and looking to build further on his remarkable 77-match clay-court winning streak. Meanwhile, Roger Federer arrives in Germany without Tony Roche as he looks for some much-needed confidence going into the French Open.

Doubting Roger? For the first time since becoming world No.1, Roger Federer is in something of a mini-crisis. For any other player, going four tournaments without a title would be no cause for drama. However, Federer has become accustomed to winning titles routinely and regularly and his recent losses have clearly dented the invincibility that he often carries on tour throughout the year. Much focus has been placed on Federer possibly winning the Grand Slam this year, but thoughts of such an achievement are far off at present after what has transpired over the past few weeks. Hamburg may prove to be the perfect place for Roger to regain form, having won the event on three occasions. On paper, Federer’s quarter poses few risks, but many will be keen to see how he comes back from his shock loss in Rome with possible encounters with Juan Carlos Ferrero and David Ferrer awaiting him.

Djokovic continuing to roll: The second quarter of the draw offers Novak Djokovic another chance to continue what has been a very impressive season. The Serbian youngster already has three titles to his name this season and has reached at least the quarter-finals in six of his last seven events. Djokovic’s consistent level of performance makes him a strong candidate to reach the last four and a possible encounter with Federer. Former French Open champion Carlos Moya has failed to win a Masters Series match on clay this season and will be expecting to put that right against American Mardy Fish in the first round. Tomas Berdych faces Fernando Verdasco in a contest that involves two talented but mentally suspect players.

Defending champion with work to do: Tommy Robredo capitalised on the absence of Nadal and Federer in last year’s event to claim his first Masters Series title. The draw has not been kind to him and some difficult challenges lie ahead if he is even to reach the last four. The third quarter of the draw is, much like in Rome, packed with players who will believe they can come through it; these include Nicolas Almagro, Juan Ignacio Chela, Guillermo Cañas and Nikolay Davydenko. Aside from those individuals there are a number of other capable players in need of form and confidence heading into Roland Garros. Jose Acasuso has under-performed all season and having made the quarter-finals in Hamburg last year, has points to defend. Agustin Calleri, Andy Murray and Lleyton Hewitt are all in need of wins prior to the French Open. This quarter is likely to provide some of the best first-round action in Hamburg with matches between Volandri/Murray, Hewitt/Calleri and Chela/Cañas.

King of Clay heading to Hamburg? At the time of writing, Nadal is expected to play in Hamburg but this may change. The Spaniard has voiced his support for the Hamburg event following plans by the ATP to downgrade its Masters Series status. In order for that support to carry weight, Nadal, in addition to the other top players, needs to turn up and play. Providing he does so, it’s futile to claim that he will have trouble with his draw. Nadal disposed of Fernando Gonzalez 6-2, 6-2 in the Rome final and Gonzalez is likely to pose the greatest threat to him in this quarter. However, it’s a threat Nadal is well equipped to handle. The possibility exists for Nadal to meet the last man to defeat him on clay, Igor Andreev, in the third round. The home crowd will be hoping that Philipp Kohlschreiber can give the Germans something to shout about by at least reaching the third round for an encounter with Nadal. Germany’s top-ranked player, Tommy Haas, is out of the event through injury.

(Article courtesy of http://sportsmagician.blogspot.com/ )