Rafael Nadal’s run in Paris without losing a set was the first time a French Open champion has won the tournament without losing a set since the great Bjorn Borg. With four titles at Roland Garros under his belt, can he win on the lawns of London? He has reached the finals of Wimbledon the last two years, and pushed Federer to five sets last year. We know he is the best clay court player, perhaps ever, and certainly since the dashing Swede with the Donnay rackets retired in the early eighties. To raise his place in the game up a notch, (and perhaps capture the No. 1 ranking) the 22-year-old Spaniard needs to win either at Wimbledon or the U.S. Open or both. I wonder, however, if his taped-up knees will hold up after the grass court season ends the tour takes to the hard courts of the U.S.

Rod Laver, in the meantime, is safe as the greatest of all time.