All Hail King Rafael

Paul Johnson reports, French Open success is on the cards for Rafael Nadal and even the Swiss mister Roger Federer won't be able to stop him from claiming the title.

Coming into the French Open Championships at Roland Garros, everyone seems to be talking up the great clash that may occur between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. I say what match up?

Having just completed his first round encounter, annihilating Swede Robin Soderling, Nadal has not only stamped his authority on the tournament early, but also in doing so broken a record that many never thought would be broken.

The Majorcan Master has now strung together 54 straight clay court victories, going past a true legend of the game in Guillermo Vilas, who held the previous record with 53 straight clay court scalps.

With the game that Nadal possesses; a mix of speed, strength, talent and a forehand as wicked as any the game has ever seen he may go on to make a record on clay that is never broken, for it certainly seems that he has no equal on the surface that has sent great players of the past, including Pete Sampras to the depths of despair.

The greatest challenge that Nadal may face at Roland Garros this year will come in the form of a potential clash with volatile Russian Marat Safin. Safin is the only man capable, simply because on any given day he can beat anyone in the world.

Nadal though is a man playing with confidence and is the nearest thing to a certainty in the French Open for a long time.

Federer knows that he is not quite a match for Rafael on a clay court and their head to head record proves it, Rafael leads Roger 3-0 on clay and 5-1 on all surfaces. Not only does Rafael hold the lead in this head to head but he gets well and truly under Federer’s skin with his aggressive nature on the court.

Nadal may be the world number two but he is going to be the new king, or at the very least the king of clay. Not since the days of fellow Spaniard Sergei Bruguera or the reign of the super fit Austrian Thomas Muster has the French public seen a maestro so swift in making the kill and so dominant of all his opponents.

Nadal is a special player. At the age of 20, he already holds the record for the longest winning streak ever on clay, a streak he will continue to extend, possibly right through this French Open and well into next year.

Nadal is the new king of the clay court, and soon the tennis world.

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