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Paris - Roger Federer insists he can't wait to confront a rejuvenated Rafael Nadal, written off as an injury-cursed, spent-force earlier this year, at the French Open which starts on Sunday.
World number one Federer, the holder of a record 16 majors, completed a career Grand Slam at Roland Garros in 2009 with a first Paris title.
But Nadal, who had won four straight French Opens, had lost in the fourth round, his crumbling knees conspiring with Robin Soderling's match of a lifetime to sensationally engineer a first Roland Garros defeat.
Federer, defeated by his great Spanish rival in the 2006, 2007 and 2008 finals, stormed into the power vacuum to take the crown.
"It's one of the great rivalries in sports right now, and obviously in our game the biggest one," said Federer of his career struggle with Nadal.
"He's got the better record against me, so every time I play him I try to improve on it. You never know. It could be in a couple weeks I play him again."
Nadal holds a staggering 14-7 lead in meetings with Federer, having won six of the last seven match-ups.
The Spanish world number two has claimed 10 of their 12 claycourt meetings, including reclaiming his Madrid Masters title last week.
But 28-year-old Federer insists he is neither concerned by Nadal's record nor his own patchy claycourt form where his run to the Madrid final was preceded by a second round exit in Rome and a semi-final loss in Estoril.
The 23-year-old Nadal's form this spring has been breathtaking.
His win in Madrid gave him a record 18th Masters title, surpassing the previous mark of Andre Agassi, and making him the first man to win all three Masters claycourt events (Monte Carlo, Rome, Madrid) in the same year.
His form has also allowed him to regain the world number two spot, ensuring that the only way he and Federer can meet in Paris is in the final.
Nadal is desperate to prove he is once again a genuine Grand Slam force, having been unable to defend his Wimbledon title last year while limping out of January's Australian Open quarter-final against Andy Murray.
But he refuses to be drawn into thinking about another title match-up with Federer.
"For sure this year on clay I played very well, so that's important for the confidence," he said.
"I won three very important titles for me after being without a title win for 11 months. It was a hard time with the injuries and I worked a lot to be back and to win again."
Between them, Federer and Nadal have won 18 of the last 20 Grand Slam events.
That staggering statistic, coupled with an injury-depleted and under-cooked chasing pack, should guarantee a fourth Federer-Nadal final in five years.
World number three Novak Djokovic, twice a semi-finalist, skipped Madrid after suffering an allergic reaction in Belgrade, the latest health scare for the Serbian whose fragile physical condition has prompted regular dismay.
Murray, who made the quarter-final in 2009, has slipped back to world number four after a promising start to 2010 which saw him reach the Australian Open final.
The Scotsman's best claycourt effort this year was a last-eight appearance in Madrid.
Missing from the tournament will be Russia's Nikolay Davydenko and US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina, both victims of long-term wrist injuries.
Federer opens his campaign against Australia's Peter Luczak and could face Swiss compatriot Stanilas Wawrinka in the fourth round.
However, last year's runner-up Soderling, could be a quarter-final opponent as could Latvia's in-form Ernests Gulbis, the man who beat Federer at the Rome Masters and Spain's Albert Montanes who defeated the top seed in the semi-finals in Estoril.
Should Federer make the semi-final, Murray, who has a 6-5 career advantage over the Swiss, may be waiting. Murray has an intriguing first round clash with France's Richard Gasquet.
Nadal will face French wildcard Gianni Mina, the world 653, in his first round.
Australian veteran Lleyton Hewitt, who has lost three times in four years to Nadal in Paris, is a possible third round opponent.
Nadal's Spanish compatriot Fernando Verdasco, who has a 0-10 against the world number two, is a potential quarter-final foe.
