PARIS -- As daylight disappeared and wind whipped loose dirt around the court, Novak Djokovic watched one last ace fly off Roger Federers racket and end their thrill-a-minute semifinal at the 2011 French Open. Its been nearly a year since that evening, and Djokovic hasnt lost a Grand Slam match since. Hes won 21 in a row, earning championships at Wimbledon in July, the U.S. Open in September, and the Australian Open in January. If Djokovic can prolong that run on the red clay of Roland Garros over the next two weeks, he will become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win four consecutive major tennis tournaments. A remarkable achievement, to be sure. And one the 25-year-old Serb is trying not to expend too much energy pondering in advance of the French Open, which starts Sunday. "It would definitely mean the world to me ... but I havent thought about that too much, because I do not want to put too much pressure on myself," the No. 1-ranked Djokovic said, then added with a laugh: "Pressure that I dont need at this moment, because I already have enough." He insists he wants to view this tournament the way he would any year. Federers take? Essentially: Good luck with that. "The hard part is (the) same for everyone: Every point you play, every game you play, the pressure you face, and just answering the questions time and time again," said Federer, who twice fell one match shy of four Grand Slam titles in a row, losing in the French Open final to Rafael Nadal in 2006 and 2007. "Its fun, because youre talking about the highest of accomplishments," Federer continued. "But at the end of the day, you just like to play the matches and not talk about it that much." Nadal also went on a three-major winning streak -- at the French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open in 2010 -- but fell short of No. 4, losing in last years Australian Open quarterfinals while hampered by a left leg muscle injury. He dismissed the notion that he came close to equaling Laver, noting that he was three matches away, and said his happiness quotient today doesnt depend on whether or not things went well in Melbourne 16 months ago. "Life continues," Nadal said, "and you keep working hard to try to be fit and be competitive for the next (match)." Theres another way in which Nadal and Federer were far from matching Laver -- as Djokovic would be, even if he wins his next seven matches: Rocket Rod pulled off his Grand Slams within a calendar year (the Australian left-hander also did it in 1962; Don Budge is the only other man to go 4 for 4). Laver himself firmly believes theres a distinction to be made. "People will say, Hes going for a Grand Slam. And I say, No, hes not doing that. That wasnt the way this whole thing was set up," Laver explained last year. "It starts in January and ends in September; starts with the Australian Open and ends with the U.S. Open." None of the top three men is in action in Paris on Day 1, when the schedule includes seven-time major champion Venus Williams in her first Grand Slam match since revealing she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, past French Open champions Ana Ivanovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova, reigning U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur, and past U.S. Open title winners Andy Roddick and Juan Martin del Potro. Djokovic and No. 3 Federer will be on court Monday, while No. 2 Nadal is slated to begin his attempt for a record-breaking seventh French Open title on Tuesday. "He is always favourite for this tournament. He even was last year," said Djokovic, who beat Nadal in seven tournament finals in 2011 but lost both clay-court finals they contested against each other this season. "Always No. 1 favourite, because hes just what he is on clay courts, you know. Hes (the) most successful tennis player ever to play on this surface." Federer agreed, saying its "crazy to even talk about" anyone other than Nadal as the man to beat. Nadal, who turns 26 during the tournament, is 45-1 for his career at the French Open. The only man to beat him, two-time runner-up Robin Soderling, is not in the field this year. "I played him so many times here," Federer said of the Spaniard. "I know how incredible he can be here." He is 0-5 against Nadal at Roland Garros, including in the finals of 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2011, when Federer failed to follow up on his masterful semifinal performance that ended Djokovics 43-match winning streak. Federers lone French Open title came in 2009, when Nadals lone loss came in the fourth round. That allowed Federer to complete a career Grand Slam, something Nadal did the following year, and Djokovic can be the eighth man to achieve. To do that, though, Djokovic will need to make it past the French Open semifinals for the first time. And guess who he was drawn to meet at that stage? Yes, Federer again. "I had the best year and a half of my career. I believe that Im at the peak of my career at this moment," Djokovic said. "I definitely want to use this confidence that I have and try to make a good result here in Roland Garros." wholesale nfl jerseys . Its something the Baltimore Ravens can certainly relate to. The two AFC powerhouses go toe-to-toe for the first time since last seasons memorable conference title game in a Week 3 headliner from M&T Bank Stadium . wholesale jerseys . This week, they discuss the casualties of the NHL lockout, Triple-Crown threat Miguel Cabrera, Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano and all of the sports figures who behaved badly this week. http://www.cheapjerseys2014.us.com/[/ur... . It was the largest shutout loss in Blue Jays history. There was more bad news for the Blue Jays. 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While Goldson never gave any indication he wouldnt report to camp, he also never said he would. Teams had until July 16 for franchise tagged players to agree to a new contract, leaving Goldson with two choices once that deadline passed: sign the one-year deal or sit out from a team that many believe is a Super Bowl contender and lose about $387,500 for every regular-season game missed. "It was a no-brainer," Goldson said. "I owed it to my teammates. Those guys have been working extremely hard, and I missed a little bit of the off-season earlier and I didnt want to miss another part of this training camp. I wanted to come back out here and sharpen up, pick up from where we started off last year and just add. I dont want to come off to a slow start to the season." Now Goldson gives himself the best chance to be ready. San Francisco will hold its first full squad practice Friday afternoon at the teams Silicon Valley headquarters, which is one big construction zone surrounded by cranes and hard-hat workers with the planned $1.2 billion stadium the 49ers hope to open for the 2014 season well in the works. A first-time Pro Bowler last season, Goldson was a key member of one of the NFLs top defences. He and cornerback Carlos Rogers shared the team lead with six interceptions -- a career-best for Goldson, who was drafted in the fourth round in 2007 out of Washington. Goldsons signing guarantees the NFC West champion 49ers will have all 11 defensive starters from last year in camp. San Francisco allowed 14.3 points per game last season, second only to the Pittsburgh Steelers at 14.2 points. "I was just hoping that he came back on time and we wouldnt have anybody missing on the defence," defensive lineman Ricky Jean-Francois said. "We got in a van together at the hotel. Just to see him there I was happy. I was like, We gott the whole defence back.ddddddddddddNow its time to let the tides roll." Goldson insists there are no hard feelings between him and the franchise. He admits hes disappointed, especially after watching other safeties with a franchise tag work out long-term deals with their teams. Oaklands Tyvon Branch signed a $26 million, four-year deal; Tennessees Michael Griffin inked a $36 million, five-year deal. Goldson said there was "not really" ever a formal offer from the 49ers. So he had to settle for the franchise tag, which is the average of the top five salaries at his position for the previous five years. "It was a little surprising it panned out that way," Goldson said. "I seen it leaning toward that way and I just accepted it for what it was. No hard feelings. Its just one of those things. It aint bad money." The earliest the 49ers can sign Goldson to a multiyear contract will be after the season. They also could franchise tag him again in 2013, though his one-year salary would likely balloon to about $7.5 million. The unsettled contraction situation never slowed Goldsons off-season routine. He worked out at two top fitness centres in Southern California and a third in North Miami Beach. While he stayed in top-tier shape, he also missed a minicamp and most of the teams voluntary off-season workouts. After a 13-3 regular season and memories of that heartbreaking 20-17 overtime loss to the eventual champion New York Giants in the NFC title game still fresh, Goldson simply didnt want to miss anything else. "I just had to take it upon myself and realize, whats the task at hand?" Goldson said. "Weve got a good football team here. Weve got a chance to do something special this year. Thats my main focus. What didnt get done didnt get done. Im sure it will get done some time next year." NOTES: The 49ers also announced the signing of three-time Pro Bowl G Leonard Davis to a one-year contract. The 6-foot-6, 375-pound Davis was drafted second overall by the Arizona Cardinals in 2001. Now 33 years old, Davis didnt play in any games last season after signing with Detroit in November. ... The 49ers also waived OL David Gonzales. He had signed with San Francisco as an undrafted free agent out of Washington State on May 4. ' ' '