French Open Men's Final 2012: Rain Saves Rafael Nadal from Major Disappointment

Novak Djokovic would have won this year's French Open without the momentum-halting suspension Sunday morning.

Instead, Rafael Nadal used the suspension to gather himself, refocus and work out any kinks in his game. He dominated Djoker in two sets Monday morning and claimed his record-breaking seventh title at Roland Garros.

Djokovic had his chances. The suspension certainly isn't a valid excuse, but it severely altered the course of this match.

Let's take a look at how Djokovic was doing prior to the suspension and how the rain altered this match.

Pre-Suspension Play

Djokovic won eight straight games before Nadal snapped that streak right before the rain came down. He had landed 22 of his last 26 first serves in-bounds, and he appeared ready to make things interesting.

This was a complete turnaround from the Djokovic we watched in the first two sets.

Early in the match, Djoker couldn't get his first serve down (less than 50 percent accuracy) and didn't seem to be comfortable.

Nadal was playing with his usual nimble nature. He was dancing his way past Bjorn Borg with a series of backhands, forehands and precise positioning in his return game.

If you only tuned in for the first two sets Sunday morning, you would assume Nadal won in straight sets and hoisted his championship trophy with ease. He was that dominant.

But watching the third set, and the first three games of the fourth set, painted a different picture.

Djokovic finally got his feet under him, found his groundstrokes and was finding his service-game groove.

Then, the rain came.

How the Rain Changed Things

Suspending play was the best thing French Open officials could have done for Nadal. The match was slowly slipping from his control, and he needed time to gather himself.

Mother nature completely destroyed all semblance of progress and momentum that Djokovic had in place. It almost felt like the second half of the match was erased completely.

The match's conclusion Monday morning confirmed this. Djokovic appeared flat and inconsistent while Nadal returned to his elite form without hesitation.

It's impossible to definitively say that Djokovic would have completed his Grand Slam without the rain's influence, but it's also hard not to wonder. Leading up to the rain, Djokovic hadn't just turned himself around, he was dominating Rafa.

History was going to be made either way. We could have seen tennis' first Grand Slam since Rod Laver in 1969.

Instead, we watched Nadal celebrate. He became tennis' preeminent clay-court player, passing Borg on the all-time list.

Victory for either player would have been beneficial for tennis, but Djokovic has to wonder what could have been.

I know I am.