Roger Federer may have lost the French Open final, but his performance showed there's much more to come from him.

Abhishek Mehrotra

Federer entered the summit clash in sublime form - having reached the semis without losing a set and then ending Novak Djokovic's stunning unbeaten streak in what was decidedly the match of the tournament.

The Swiss seemed to love the new, lighter balls that were used at Roland Garros this year - they were far more suitable to his stroke-making than the old ones.  For perhaps the first time, he had a genuine chance of upstaging the man who has so often thwarted his bid for glory in Paris.

Rafael Nadal is more machine than man though. After a sluggish start that saw him fall 2-5 behind in the first set - the Spaniard found his range, especially on the forehand. That has been the major weapon for him against Federer on clay.

With a classical one-handed backhand, the world number three finds it difficult to deal with balls that bounce high over the shoulder and Nadal has bombarded that flank with unerring accuracy every time the two have met at the French Open. Once those wickedly top-spinning forehands starting landing deep in the court, things looked bleak for the Swiss - and eventually he succumbed to his relentless opponent.

But the result must not take away from what was a brilliant campaign from Federer and one that saw him reach a Grand Slam final for the first time in more than a year. 

While most players tend to become more cautious as they age - the 16-time major winner was uninhibited throughout the fortnight - going for his shots from both sides, mixing it with some sublime drops (some of which even Nadal, whose coverage of the court is probably the best in the history of the game, couldn't reach) and bringing out the big serves whenever the occasion demanded.

The result was vintage Federer - circa 2006 or 2007 - and we are lucky to be witnessing, if not the rebirth, then at least the reawakening of one of the best players tennis has ever seen.

For large parts of 2010 - and especially during the French Open and Wimbledon - the Swiss looked short on confidence and admitted as much in his post-match press conference on Sunday. But hiring Paul Annacone as coach seems to have put the wind back in his sails. 

The American was a serve-and-volleyer during his playing days and his influence on Federer's game was obvious in Paris- given the frequency with which the former world number one rushed to the net on the back of a heavy first serve. The strategy paid rich dividends and promises to deliver even more in a fortnight when Wimbledon kicks off.

Federer is no longer the supremely dominant player of the noughties - there is no doubt about that. The talent is of course still there, but the consistency that used to accompany those unbelievable strokes has dipped a bit. And given the amazing depth and quality in men's tennis - a bit is all that's needed for the rest to move in for the kill.

Nadal continues to be a major force to be reckoned with, Djokovic is in the form of his life and Andy Murray is making rapid strides. With these guys around, Federer will no longer romp to Grand Slam after Grand Slam like he did in his heyday.

But he's still capable of putting together seven magnificent matches - especially on the grass and hard courts he loves so much. 

Don't count him out, the magic will be around to bewitch for a while yet. Wimbldeon cannot come fast enough.