Federer finished second to Nadal in 2011 here (photo: zimbio)

Spain’s Rafael Nadal may have had a huge slump in his form lately, but he will be an absolute favorite at the upcoming French Open 2015, believes his arch-rival and 17-time Grand Slam champion, Roger Federer.

Having lost just one match in his entire career at the French Open, Nadal is touted as the ‘King of Clay’ by many. However, a substandard 17-5 record on the red dirt this season is something that looks meek besides the Spaniard’s name.

Following his semifinal loss to top-ranked Novak Djokovic in Monte Carlo, Nadal made untimely exits in Barcelona and Rome, before botching to pull off the title in Madrid in spite of going through to the summit round.

However, despite all his topical failure, Federer insists that the southpaw is in a good position to subsist his fortress in Paris.

“Regardless of what anyone says to me he’s the favourite,” Federer was quoted as saying by IOL Sport. “The guy’s only lost once in 10 years. There’s no way past that guy being the absolute favourite for that tournament.”

The French Open is scheduled to commence from May 24.