 During the clay season , Federer 's victory in the Hamburg Masters final was particularly impressive , as it snapped Rafael Nadal 's 81 @-@ match winning streak on clay , an Open @-@ Era record . Federer turned the match around from a set down to sweep 12 of the final 14 games , including a final set <unk> . At the French Open , some anticipated that Federer could become the first man in almost 40 years to hold all four majors simultaneously , having just <unk> defeated young rival Nadal on clay entering the tournament . However , in a repeat of the previous year Federer played a tough four @-@ set final against Nadal , but was <unk> by going 1 / 18 on break @-@ point chances . 
