Rafael Nadal: The Absolute King of Clay

What a final this has been here in Roland Garros!

The much anticipated final between world No. 1 Roger Federer and the king of clay courts tennis, Raphael Nadal, had "greatest tennis match of the year" written all over it!

The talent, stamina, level, and drive of these two men is just a dimension above the rest of the ATP-ranked players; all of us fans were expecting a classic 5-set-long game, with twist and plots the likes of which makes it the more exciting to watch!

Except that king Nadal had different plans for this afternoon—his majesty was in no mood to waste anymore than one hour and thirty eight minutes, winning in one of the quickest time for a Roland Garros final.

Three brutalizing sets is all it took for the Spaniard to demonstrate how dominant he is on clay, and that nobody else may lay claim to ownership of the most glamorous tournament on the calendar!

Wasting little time, and having studied Federer's strategy, Nadal went to work, rolling in the games, sets, and eventually the match, overpowering with authority the stylish Federer 6-1, 6-3, 6-0. Although it may be useful to note King Nadal was merciful enough to allow Federer to score four games, but that was all as far as his majesty's generosity went.

The world No. 1 learnt his lesson today, and took a battering, the sort that has not been recorded in the sports archives, especially not at a Grand Slam final, let alone a Master's final.

What is more, if today's overawing performance is anything to go by, expect Nadal to gain key momentum to clinch that much-awaited world No. 1 status!

But, back to today's game.

The King has been superb throughout, the scoreboard says it all, it took Nadal three sets under an hour and thirty eight minutes to finish off Federer for the plat de resistance, looking ahead for the desert in Wimbledon.

If, only if Nadal can replicate that ease of play he has on clay, for on the green, Federer has the upper hand, and it is safe to bet the Swiss will be looking for some revenge after such a humiliating defeat.

Nadal's fouth win in a row at Roland Garros is equaling Bjorn Borg's record. Winning under an hour and thirty eight minutes was the stuff of legend, absolute domination, focus, and most of all, sending a message to anyone that even dareth stand in the Monarch's way.

The last time a final at Roland Garros lasted that short a period of time dates back to 1978.

Anyways, Nadal pushed Federer to the limit, with the Swiss ending the game with 35 unforced errors in hand, which, if anything, was astoundingly dreadful statistics for the world No. 1.

Roger's pre-match strategy was to be more aggressive coming to the net, and attacking more as opposed to forcing errors, yet it all backfired in his face as king Nadal outsmarted his biggest rival.

All in all, this was quick work for his majesty who'll be laughing his way to his hotel room, defending his French open title with ease, leaving us all wondering whether Nadal is on a mean streak of destruction coming into Wimbledon and beyond.