Djokovic, Nadal face day of destiny

by Dave James

TENNIS: PARIS, June 9 (AFP) - Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal square off in a record fourth successive Grand Slam final on Sunday with the French Open title and a place in tennis folklore at stake.

A win for world number one Djokovic, playing in his first Roland Garros final, will make him only the third man in history - and first in 43 years - to hold all four majors at the same time.

Victory for world number two Nadal will mean becoming the first man to win seven French Opens, breaking a tie for six he currently holds with Swedish legend Bjorn Borg.

Nadal, with a staggering Roland Garros career record of 51 wins and just one defeat, is the overwhelming favourite, having reached his seventh final for the loss of just 35 games in six rounds.

He hasn't dropped a set and has lost serve just once. Furthermore, Nadal came into Paris having secured claycourt titles in Barcelona, Monte Carlo and Rome, beating Djokovic in the finals of the last two in straight sets, breaking a seven-final losing streak to the Serb.

But Djokovic has won all of the last three Grand Slam title matches they have played - at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2011, and this year's epic Australian Open which, at five hours 53 minutes, was the longest ever men's final. Not that Djokovic is seeing that as a factor come Sunday.