Novak Djokovic is the world number one, holds three major titles and is on a 27-match Grand Slam winning streak. Yet, practically no one is giving him a chance of stopping Rafael Nadal in the French Open final on Sunday.
"How discouraging it is to play Nadal on this surface?" asked American tennis great John McEnroe. "It's going to be unbelievably tough to beat this guy. I know when (Bjorn) Borg played in my day he was like the human backboard. He was faster than everyone, fitter than everyone, and you couldn't get a ball by the guy."
If Djokovic wants to avoid a panic attack or tie himself up in knots just 24 hours before the men's final, he will have to find a way to wipe out the memory bank labelled "Nadal".
The Serbian has already admitted he was "really not good with numbers" and even thought Nadal "has lost what, two matches in his career here?". For the record Nadal has lost just once since his 2005 debut, to Robin Soderling in the fourth round in 2009, and will be going for a seventh title on Sunday.
The other numbers make grim reading for Djokovic.Nadal has a 51-1 win-loss record at Roland Garros and has dropped just 35 games to reach the final here, which is the fewest games he has ever lost en route to a Grand Slam final.He is the first man since tennis turned professional in 1968 to reach five Grand Slam finals without dropping a set. Ominously, on each occasion he has gone on to win the title.
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