by Matthew Cronin, Special to FOXSports.com

Updated: April 28, 2008, 7:34 PM EST 63 comments

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This is the only part of the year where the world's best doesn't look like the world's best, where the world No. 2 is so dominant on a particular surface that the world No. 1 must go to the drawing board to try and figure out how to beat him.

Jose Higueras brings a new influence to Roger Federer's game. (FRANCISCO LEONG/AFP / Getty Images)

That and a general lack of confidence during the first three months of this season is why Federer just hired Spaniard Jose Higueras to be his coach, the man who tutored Americans Michael Chang and Jim Courier to Grand Slam titles and coached Todd Martin to the world No. 4 ranking and to two Grand Slam finals.

A few days after Federer made the hire — which came nearly a year after he dismissed his former coach, the notable Aussie Tony Roche, due to a lack of communication — the 55-year-old Higueras called Martin, clearly excited about the prospect about engaging his huge tennis brain with the man who may some day soon be called the best who has ever played the game.

"It's a tremendous fit," Martin told FOXSports.com. "They are both the best at what they do. (Even though) Federer played without a coach and has a clear understanding of the game, Higueras is as good as anyone you can find. No one communicates the game in English as well as Jose does."

But great success is what they are looking for and both set their personal bars pretty high. Federer won't have to win every tournament he plays to satisfy Higueras and the Spaniard won't impart a million nuggets of wisdom to satisfy Federer, but they will have to feel they are on the same page and making progress toward common goals.

One of those goals is surely to stop Nadal's march toward clay-court immortality. On Sunday, Nadal won his fourth-consecutive Monte Carlo Masters title on clay with a 7-5, 7-5 victory over Federer in the final. Nadal improved his clay-court record against Federer to 7-1 (he owns a 9-6 edge overall) and now has pocketed a phenomenal 97 of his last 98 clay-court matches.

He is a dirtballing juggernaut, pure and simple.

Federer went hard at the Spaniard for much of the match, but in the end, the same thought arose that preceded the contest: That Nadal has more tools on the surface and that it will take an amazing effort from Federer to stop the 21-year-old from running the table during the clay-court season once again.

"Jose is obviously aware of the Spanish mindset and of Rafa's game," said Martin, who plays in the men's senior Outback Champion Series, which stops in Boston this week with sports legends Pete Sampras and John McEnroe as headliners. "Roger took substantial initiative with his forehand, and hit through his backhand more, which Jose thinks has been a little fluffy. He took a very aggressive mindset into the match, which is necessary against Nadal. He looked a little more patient with his attack and wasn't displaying as much anxiety."

Federer has admittedly been a little anxious in his attempt to heal his body after a bout with mono last December. Title-less for the first three months of the season, he looked vulnerable and was playing much the same way — a guy who knew he had something to lose and was being sucked up in the inevitability of his defeats.

So he called Higueras, who has been happily working with U.S. player Robby Ginepri and a slew of juniors in Palm Springs, which has been his long-term home.

A calm, measured man who exudes a quiet confidence, Higueras flew to Europe and stayed by Federer's side as he won Estoril, his first crown of the year, and then in Monte Carlo, where the Swiss bested two men who have given him hell as of late — David Nalbandian and Novak Djokovic — en route to the final.

But for all the positives that Federer gained, there were a few negatives that remained when the dust settled in Monte Carlo. He let go of a 4-0 lead in the second set as his serve fall apart and his groundstrokes missed their mark. His high-wire act fell short against a rock-solid Nadal.

"I'm still close (to beating him). It's not getting much easier, but I am right there and it's a good thing," Federer said. "I am coming back strong and am happy the way things are now. A few weeks ago I was still in a bit of doubt."

Here's the rub — on a great day for three-time French Open champion Nadal, he'll win every time out on clay against Federer. The same goes for Federer on grass and on hard courts against Nadal — he has more weapons at his disposal. On clay, Nadal is a far better mover, a much more accomplished defender and his money shot — his heavy, hooking left-handed forehand, seems to hop high above the top of stadiums. His backhand has more variety now, and he is a more sure-handed volleyer. He does not own a great serve, but he spots it well enough on clay to get himself into dominating positions, where he happily dictates.

"Rafael is the best of the best on clay courts, just like Roger is on other surfaces," Martin said. "With that said, Roger is the second-best clay-court player in the world. What that means is that there will be times when Roger can upset Rafa on clay, but a lot of things have to be going well for him for that to happen."

Even though Higueras had only spent two weeks with him and very little time on the practice court due to the fact that Federer was immersed in competition, Martin could already see Higueras' influence at work last week.

"He seemed to have more confidence in grinding some points out and wasn't as anxious in trying to end points too quickly," Martin said. "He has to be willing to construct more standard clay-court points and also take his chances. I saw Roger being more ambitious, reckless and transparently aggressive. I could see Jose's impact in restoring his confidence by the way that he was more willing to stay in points rather than just trying to end them fast, which I saw more at the beginning of this year."

While Nadal prepares his assault on his fourth Barcelona title this week, Federer will take a break and prepare for Rome, where the two could meet again. Higueras has flown back to California and won't return until before the French Open, when he and Federer will have substantial time to work out the kinks on the practice court, Higueras' favorite place of work. Maybe Higueras will convince him to serve and volley once in awhile on dirt, a tactic Martin favors against Nadal. Maybe he will convince him to use his backhand slice more rather than consistently trying to come over the ball. What style Federer will employ is still open to debate.

But one thing is for sure: Higueras will speak his mind. Federer is sure to listen, but how much new information will the 12-time Grand Slam champion absorb and be willing to put into practice once a Grand Slam begins, when players tend to revert to what got them there?

"Jose won't withhold opinions and will assert his authority," Martin said. "Roger will get a pretty good idea of what Jose wants. Jose is aware that Roger is master of what he does and he's all about engaging with a player so they both buy into a plan. He sees the whole picture."