Boris Becker [Images] knows a thing or two about winning Grand Slams as a teenager and he is convinced Spain's Rafael Nadal [Images] is the player to beat at the French Open.

World number one Roger Federer [Images] will seek to complete his Grand Slam collection in Paris but the Swiss has a relatively poor record on the slow clay of Roland Garros and 18-year-old Nadal is on fire.

"At the moment Nadal is a big favourite," Becker said.

"Yes, you have (Argentine Gaston) Gaudio, the defending champion, you have (Argentine Guillermo) Coria, you have (Spain's Juan Carlos) Ferrero and you have Federer.

"Federer on clay is also a big threat so you shouldn`t overlook him. But the top player right now is Rafael Nadal."

Twenty years ago Becker took tennis by storm when he won the Queen's Club tournament and the first of three Wimbledon [Images] titles at the age of 17.

The now-retired former world number one sees more than a hint of `Boom-Boom Boris' Nadal, the Mallorcan who has won four tournaments this year including back-to-back clay titles in Monte Carlo and Barcelona to break into the top 10 for the first time.

"He is better on clay than I was," laughed Becker, who never won a claycourt tournament despite accumulating 49 titles during his career.

"He is the up-and-coming new star of the tennis world and it is wonderful to see such a young kid with so much firepower and so much will to win. In a way he reminds me little bit of a young teenager in Germany [Images] 20 years ago or more.

"I am often in Spain, in Mallorca. I saw him playing four or five years ago and he had the same attitude and the same energy that he brings to his tennis right now."

One of Nadal's biggest advantages, Becker said, was that he possessed the fearlessness of youth.

"It helps to be younger and just be very much in the zone, in the moment, just thinking about the next tennis balls," said Becker at the London [Images] launch of Nobok, a company that offers fans the chance to meet sporting greats face-to-face.

"But more importantly, I think that is his attitude, his personality anyway. You cannot really switch in and out of it. He doesn't have any fear.

"He goes out and plays in front of his home crowd and wins tournaments -- that's something that will follow him through his whole career."

Becker said Federer must acquire the virtue of patience in order to better his quarter-final appearance at Roland Garros in 2001.

ACHILLES HEEL

Otherwise the Swiss risks joining a clutch of greats like Becker, Pete Sampras [Images] and Stefan Edberg [Images] who won all the other Grand Slams but failed to master the exacting Paris clay.

"I guess we all have our Achilles heel. Mine was the French Open and Federer certainly hasn't won the French Open yet, though I think he has the talent. I will be very surprised once he finishes his career to read that he hasn't won the French Open.

"He's got a great ground-stroke game, he's got good legs, so I don't see any reason why he shouldn't win the French Open.

"(He needs) patience. Claycourt tennis is more about not making many mistakes but Federer has the game."

As one of Nobok's `ambassadors', Becker will provide items of memorabilia to be auctioned online and he is promising some very special items will go under the hammer.

"After playing in tennis for over 20 years I have lots of interesting memorabilia," he said. "The original Wimbledon racket that I won the championship with, the racket I won many important titles with.

"The whole look, the shoes, the dirty shorts, all the bits and pieces you need when you are playing out there. I have plenty of stuff that I'm sure people would love to see."

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