Nadal and Federer ready to rekindle rivalry

ROME, May 4 (Reuters) Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer resume their fierce rivalry when the Rome Masters begins on Monday.

Between them the pair have won 17 of the last 22 Masters Series events and, as long as they are in the draw, the rest remains something of a sideshow.

''Every time I play against Roger, I realise I'm playing against someone very special,'' said Nadal last week, after edging out Federer in an exhibition match on a half-grass half-clay court in Mallorca.

The win, which Nadal sealed 10-8 in a final-set tiebreak after saving two match points, began the psychological sparring match that will continue in Rome before the start of the French Open on May 27.

Rome, a high profile warm-up event for Roland Garros, has been the scene of some of the most memorable matches of Nadal's career.

The 20-year-old Spaniard, who clinched his 12th consecutive claycourt title in Barcelona last month to extend his winning streak on the surface to 72 matches, has often had to fight hard in the Italian capital.

He came from a break down in the fifth set to beat Guillermo Coria in the 2005 final. Last year he saved two match points in a five-hour final against Federer successfully to defend his title.

A third consecutive title would equal the open era record of three Rome wins, held by Austria's Thomas Muster, who triumphed in 1990, 1995 and 1996.

UNFAMILIAR POSITION Federer, meanwhile, will start the tournament in the unfamiliar position of underdog, having lost all four of his previous claycourt meetings with Nadal.

''Clay totally suits his playing style. He plays a lot of top-spin, he's very physical and he's a great athlete,'' said the Swiss.

''It's always tough to a get a good serve past him because he returns so well.

For Federer, Rome is a place of near-misses and might-have-beens. Apart from last year's epic battle, he also lost out unexpectedly to Felix Mantilla in the 2003 final.

Victory would not only give him a huge lift but also relaunch a season that has gone off the boil slightly since his victory at the Australian Open.

Defeats by Guillermo Canas in Indian Wells and Miami, and another loss to Nadal on clay in Monte Carlo, mean Federer has yet to win a Masters Series event this year.

The other players seem stuck in a race for third.

Of the world's top five, neither Andy Roddick nor Nikolay Davydenko has a good record on clay, making fifth-ranked Novak Djokovic the likeliest to cause an upset.

The 19-year-old Serb beat Nadal on his way to winning his first Masters Series title in Miami.

Canas could prove a dangerous floater in the draw.

The Argentine, who has already regained a place in the world's top 25 since returning from a 15-month drugs ban last September, has a good record on clay.

He beat former French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero to win a claycourt tournament in Brazil at the start of the year, then finished runner-up to Nadal in Barcelona.

REUTERS TB RK2038