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A brief rain delay did stop Rafael Nadal claiming his sixth French Open title © Getty Images

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Nadal fends off Federer to claim sixth French Open title

King of Clay retains his crown
Rafael Nadal's victory over Roger Federer saw him equal Bjorn Borg's record of six French Open titles. By a nice little twist of fate, Nadal is one day older than Borg was when he won his sixth title at Roland Garros in 1981. Nadal celebrated his 25th birthday on Friday - the day he beat Andy Murray in the semi-finals, while Borg reached his quarter-century the day before his 6-1 4-6 6-2 3-6 6-1 win over Ivan Lendl. Borg needed eight years to claim six titles - Nadal has done it in seven.

Djokovic loses out in the final
OK, so we know Novak Djokovic's unbeaten start to 2011 came to an end in the semi-finals at the hands of Roger Federer, but the Serb would have had more than just one eye on Sunday's final. With 2000 points on the line for defending champion Nadal, nothing less than a title would have been enough for the Spaniard to keep his No. 1 ranking. Djokovic is still breathing down his neck, but Nadal pulled the result out when it really mattered.

Petko wears her heart on her sleeve
Most players keep their cards close to their chests when it comes to other players, but Andrea Petkovic has revealed she has a girly crush on Nadal. Writing on her Twitter page, Petkovic admitted she was a "Rafa-Fangirl all the way", adding: "There's not a lot I can do really. Rafa is just the equivalent to Backstreet Boys' Nick Carter when I was 13." So if Nadal is Nick Carter, who does that make Roger Federer? Why Barack Obama, naturally. "Roger definitely equivalent to Barack Obama. You know, when I see Rafa I want to scream - when I see Roger I want to bow," Petkovic concluded.

Winning reflex
Rafael Nadal shook off a slow start to take the opening set. Having battled back from 5-2 down, the tide had turned in Nadal's favour, and everything was going his way. Having chased down a drop shot, Federer hit his return straight at Nadal, who instinctively put his racket in the way, only to see the ball balloon over Federer deep into the corner of the court. Federer managed to reach the ball, but his running reverse was smashed down by Nadal to claim break point, which he converted to take the lead for the first time in the match.

Defence wins the day
It may not have been a vintage performance from Nadal, but the ability to grind out results is a mark of a true champion. With his pedigree on the red dirt, Nadal could afford to rely on his defence, and the stats tell the story of the match. While Nadal finished the match with 39 winners and only 27 unforced errors, Federer's numbers were greater on both counts - 56 unforced errors and 53 winners.

Great American hope
For a nation that produced Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, John McEnroe and the Williams sisters, the failure of any Americans to reach the fourth round in Paris must be pretty depressing. But perhaps there is hope for the future, with American junior Bjorn Fratangelo claiming the boys singles title at Roland Garros. Fratangelo battled back from a set down to beat Austria's Dominic Thiem 3-6 6-3 8-6 to become the first American since John McEnroe in 1977 to win the title.

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