RAFAEL NADAL

Rafael Nadal cemented his reputation as the best clay court tennis player of all time by winning the French Open this afternoon. In eight attempts, he has won the title seven times, which is a phenomenal record. Apart from the satisfaction of going one better than Bjorn Borg, he did it by beating his nemesis, world number one Novak Djokovic. Djokovic had won the last three Grand Slam finals (Wimbledon, U.S. Open and Australian Open), defeating Nadal each time, and was trying to be the first player since Rod Laver to hold all four at one time. However, on clay, which is not his forte but is what the Spaniard grew up on, he was never really in with a chance. A rally gave him the third set, but he was otherwise outclassed.

Can Nadal, who now has 11 Grand Slam titles, go on and beat Roger Federer's record of 16? Given that he has just turned 26, it is certainly possible; though as Federer (almost 31) will confirm, tennis is a young man's game and it gets much harder after the age of 25. Furthermore, one of the reasons for Federer's longevity is his simple style, that puts the minimum amount of stress on his body. Nadal's shots, particularly his forehand, put tremendous stress on his wrist and shoulder, and I doubt he will play for as long as Federer has. Still, he should win some more titles, not least the French, where nobody else looks like having a chance. But 6 more? That I doubt.

Walter Blotscher