There were two; now there are three. These are intriguing and thrilling times at the summit of men’s tennis. Over the summer, a battle for supremacy will be fought between three Europeans, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Nobody, least of all the contenders, knows for sure who will emerge on top, but all three must reach for a new level of excellence. Theirs will be the labour, ours the feast.

Federer was the only one of the trinity to appear yesterday, and he gave a display on a damp Paris evening that should bring renewed optimism to those who wish that this year he can win the one major title to elude him. In beating Mario Ancic 6-3 6-4 6-2 Federer was close to flawless. There was hardly a miss-hit as he gave fuller expression to his genius than he has of late. There was plenty of variety and subtlety as well as power, and a sense that Federer had freedom to enjoy and expand his game.

The arrival of a third player to establish the trinity brings celebration and relief. For almost three years, we have had a duel between Federer and Nadal that promised much but slumped into stalemate. Federer sat on the throne as No 1, winning the Grand Slam events at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open as if by right and usually with ease. But he could not win the French. Nadal, just as much a phenomenon in his way, managed to establish himself as the most dominant clay-court player since Bjorn Borg, winning three consecutive French Open titles, but could not win any other Grand Slam event. He was stuck fast at No 2.

With that deadlock apparently beyond resolution, Djokovic, the youngest of the trio by almost a year, has done everyone a favour by gate-crashing the private party. After two years of steady improvement, contesting quarter-finals, semi-finals and then finals of Grand Slam events, Djokovic has been the player of the year thus far. He won the Australian Open - the first man other than Federer or Nadal to win a Grand Slam event since the French Open in 2005 - and followed that with victories in Indian Wells and Rome, the last being on clay.

So now we have the king of grass, the king of clay and the king of hard courts. By every criterion, including the arcane points system by which the rankings are determined, they are a good class better than the rest. They will be contesting the semi-finals and finals of the coming major championships, and if any one of them can usurp one on the other’s domain, he can call himself the king of the game.

Each is very distinct in kind, though all have speed and power as given. Federer has the classic, imperial game; Nadal is chiefly defensive but brutal and almost impossible to repress; Djokovic is consistently brilliant, hitting early and flat.

As he closes in on Nadal’s No 2 ranking, Djokovic’s confidence is manifest. While the other two men have learnt to be careful in conversation, masking their frustrations, talking down their own achievements while paying homage to their chief opponent, Djokovic gives it straight. “I have come to the French Open as a more mature player,” he said on the eve of the tournament. “I believe in myself much more and I can win against Rafa on clay or Roger on any surface or any other player who is at the top.”

Change is coming and Djokovic is likely to be the beneficiary, but perhaps not in Paris. For of all the Herculean labours in tennis, the most daunting is beating Nadal on clay. Federer has the ability for sure, and he has recovered physically from the debilitating illness he suffered shortly before the Australian Open, but belief is the most important factor and his insistence that he can beat Nadal over five sets on clay so long as his game is on song rings hollow. The scars are many and painful.

In their latest encounter, over the best of three sets in Hamburg, Federer seemed to be calm and confident, establishing a 5-1 lead in the first set as if he had found a cure for his Nadal-pho-bia. Yet it was worse than ever and just as predictable. Federer missed two set points on his own service and his apparent serenity dissolved as quickly as his lead.

After clinging on to the wreckage, Nadal took that set and went on to win. Federer’s sporadic dominance for periods of the match was no consolation.

Against Nadal, Djokovic has one important technical advantage compared with Federer. He can handle the lashed forehand that Nadal hooks into a right-hander’s backhand corner. Federer is inconvenienced by that shot, but Djokovic can use his double-handed backhand to hit the ball flat and on the rise.

Mindful of the beatings that he has received from Nadal on clay in the past, most notably in last year’s semi-final when he was ground to submission, mentally and physically spent, Djokovic has appeared to be saving his energies this week. His straight-sets defeat of Wayne Odesnik, a hard-hitting, left-handed American, on Friday evening was no better than workmanlike.

Djokovic’s optimism is deep. He has been hurt by Nadal on clay, but he is on the rise, getting better on every surface and sure that his turn is imminent. Few in the game think that Djokovic’s Grand Slam win in Australia will be his last, that he will descend from the summit as swiftly as Marat Safin, who won the Australian Open in 2005. Much more common is the opinion that Djokovic will move on to be the next No 1.

With three aces in the pack, the draw at each Grand Slam championship is critical. The position of the No 3 seed – top or bottom half – is determined by lot. In the present case, Djokovic is in the bottom half, which means that in all likelihood Nadal will have to repel his challenge in the semi-finals before taking on Federer in the final.

That was Nadal’s task last year as well, and despite Djokovic’s gathering ascendancy, it remains within his capacities. For Nadal this past week has shown no sign of weakness or mercy. His thrashing of Jarkko Nieminen on Friday was another exhibition of the disparity between the top three and the rest. For Nieminen it was the kind of experience that forces a man to question his choice of profession.

Roll on the matches that matter and the summer of titans.