Federer one giant step away from Grand Slam

PARIS, June 11 (Reuters) World number one Roger Federer will be aiming to become the first man since Rod Laver to hold all four Grand Slam titles at once when he plays defending champion Rafael Nadal in the French Open final today.

While Australian Laver won all four majors twice in a calendar year -- in 1962 and 1969 -- the Swiss has his eye on completing a non-calendar slam after his successes at Wimbledon and the US and Australian Opens.

In order to achieve the feat, Federer has the mammoth task of snapping Nadal's record 59-match winning streak on clay.

The 20-year-old Spaniard, who has won all three of his matches on clay against Federer, will also be eager to extend his perfect record in Paris to 14-0 having captured the title on his debut appearance 12 months ago.

In last month's Rome Masters final, the Swiss showed signs of closing the gap with Nadal on the slow surface after earning two match points but he eventually lost 6-7 7-6 6-4 2-6 7-6.

Last year, Nadal beat Federer in four sets in the French Open semi-final before defeating Argentine Mariano Puerta in the final.

The men's final in Paris will feature the top two seeds for the first time since 1984.

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