TENNIS in DEPTH.

Rafael Nadal only has to turn up to secure a fifth consecutive French Open title at Roland Garros later this month, according to just about anyone who has borne witness to the Spaniard’s clay-court prowess.

Nadal has won all but two of his last 135 matches on clay, spanning four years. This year he has been more dominant than ever. Which is why his opponents are just about resigned to their fate.

“I don’t see anyone capable of defeating Rafa on clay,” said his compatriot, the former Wimbledon quarter-finalist Feliciano Lopez. “His level and his confidence make him invincible.”

If Roger Federer makes this year’s final, it is likely to be the fourth consecutive final between the pair. Yet Nadal’s continued rubber-stamping of his world number one position is in sharp contrast to the travails of Federer.

So recently invincible himself, Federer finds himself in the astonishing position of still seeking his first tour title this season. He has been dogged by injury, and some of his old behavioural demons have threatened to re-surface.

In a patchy clay-court campaign, he has been beaten by the likes of Novak Djokovic, for the first time on the surface, and his rising Swiss rival and Davis Cup team-mate Stanislas Wawrinka.

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