Rafa Nadal.

World No 1 says he feels no pressure in trying to outdo Borg.

IF RAFAEL NADAL is at all concerned about the coming fortnight as he aims to become the greatest player ever to compete at Roland Garros, then he is not only the king of clay-court tennis but also a master in the art of deception. Perhaps it’s down to the familiarity Nadal has with the mechanics of winning the French Open. Or the fact that nobody, save perhaps the most ardent supporters of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, believes there can be any outcome other than the man from Mallorca again hoisting the Coupe des Mousquetaires in two weeks’ time. The fact that winning here would make Nadal the first player in the history of the French championships to win five singles titles in a row - one more than Bjorn Borg and the legendary Frenchwoman Suzanne Lenglen - does not promote a trace of anxiety. Some players, when walking near the entrance to the building that houses the world’s tennis media, might hurry past, eyes down. Not Nadal. He wanders by all smiles, happy to talk, joke and shake hands. “It is always a pleasure to be in this city,” he says. “I’m happy to be here. Coming back is a special sensation.” Nadal, who is 22, insists on remaining one of the lads in the Spanish corner of the players’ lounge. Fernando Verdasco is his biggest threat among the group, not just because he is ranked eighth in the world but also due to the fact that the pair are seeded to meet in the quarter-finals. At the Australian Open they fought out a gargantuan semi-final battle that stretched to five hours and 14 minutes before Nadal won. In many ways it only added to Nadal’s aura, particularly as he miraculously recovered to beat Federer in the final

Source;timesonline.co.uk