Rafael Nadal hails most special seventh Paris title

After their six-hour final in Melbourne, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic stepped into new territory in Paris. They were engaged in combat for fully two days before Nadal finally inscribed his name on the Coupe des Mousquetaires for the seventh time with a 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 victory.

Admittedly, this was the effect of the rain that forced the players off on Sunday night, rather than a repeat of the famous John Isner-Nicolas Mahut marathon. But a two-day match is still a two-day match, and Nadal spoke afterwards of the tension that gripped him before yesterday's 1pm start. "I spent a very hard day since yesterday," said Nadal, who only got to sleep on Sunday night after reading Sengoku, his favourite Spanish comic-book, over and over again.

"Yesterday with all the stops and today, I really felt tired and nervous before the match," he added. "My feeling was that I wasn't ready for the match, I wasn't ready until just three minutes before. But now, this is the probably the most special moment of my career. To hold this trophy is unforgettable."

However anxious he was in the build-up, Nadal started yesterday's (Monday's) session at 1-2 down in the fourth set with the same ferocious precision that he had shown in the opening games of the match. From the very first point, he was overpowering Djokovic with the sheer weight of his groundstrokes, which pound away at you like a jackhammer on Tarmac.

Coming out on to the court on another cold, windy day, Djokovic was understandably vulnerable in his first service game. He soon faced break point, and when Nadal benefited from a net-cord that set him up for an easy winner, Djokovic could only look up at his players' box in despair.

As on Sunday, much of the fourth - and, as it proved, final - set of this final was played in light drizzle. When it grew heavier, tournament referee Stefan Fransson made a sally on to the court. But the players agreed to sit the shower out, huddling under their umbrellas until the strong wind sent that set of clouds scudding over, and an unexpected burst of sunshine illuminated Court Philippe Chatrier.

The break in the weather failed to inspire Djokovic, who found himself serving to stay in the match at 4-5. Although he managed to survive that game, he came under heavy pressure after the next changeover, and finally succumbed with a double fault on match point.

The fans, who filled around three-quarters of the seats, had done their best to inspire Djokovic. They wanted more than the 49 minutes' play that were needed on the day.

But Nadal is just about unbeatable at Roland Garros, on the courts where he has lost just once in 53 matches. In 2007 and 2008, he had blocked Roger Federer's pursuit of the Grand Slam with victories in the French Open final. Yesterday it was Djokovic's turn, as Nadal's victory killed off the dream of the 'Novak Slam'.

Afterwards, Djokovic was philosophical about losing a match that he had dominated for a half-hour stretch on Sunday night - a period when he achieved the unheard-of feat of winning eight successive games against Nadal on clay.

"I could easily have lost here in the fourth round or against [Jo-Wilfried] Tsonga," Djokovic said. "But I managed to come to the final for the first time in my career. I should be happy about that, of course. I will be and I am, but in this moment I am disappointed about this loss because I thought I started to play better in the third set.

"I felt like I could take this match to a fifth set, and then, you know, everything could be possible. Unfortunately there has been a rain delay when I started to feel really good on the court. But I don't want to find an excuse in that, because the first rain delay maybe helped me a little bit; the second helped him. So that's the way it goes, and the better player won today. So congratulations."

Nadal now holds seven French Open titles, one ahead of Bjorn Borg's long-standing record of six. He turned 26 during the tournament, making him the same age that Borg was when he walked away from the sport. But there is little chance of Nadal abandoning his own grip on this tournament. He could easily go on and win it three or four more times, unless someone comes up with a way of handling his booming topspin, which makes the ball rear up off the court like some fuzzy yellow jack-in-the-box.

The effect yesterday was to push Djokovic further and further towards the back wall, and when you are standing 50 feet away from the net, it is all but impossible to penetrate Nadal's seamless defence. You would need a piece of military hardware to hurt him from there.

"I think my game naturally adapts very well to this surface," Nadal said last night. "My movements are -probably the right ones to play here, and my natural shot the right one for clay.

"How long will I go on? It is impossible to predict the future. I will be here for as long as my injuries don't stop me playing and until I still have motivation and passion for what I am doing. Hopefully for a long time."

Given the way Nadal turns each year's French Open into a near-forgone conclusion, this was not exactly the answer his rivals wanted to hear.