He eventually found the strength to get up and, with the back of his shirt caked in clay, closed his eyes and held his arms aloft in triumph before clambering up to the stands to hug his family and friends.

Realising he had turned out to be a huge stumbling block in Federer's quest for greatness, Nadal told the crowd: "I am really sad for Roger. He is a friend and a great champion, whether he wins or loses."

"It's true that I feel at home here and I worked extremely hard for this. It's a dream to win again."

As a disappointed Federer stood on the podium holding his runners-up tray, visions of what could have been must have flashed through his tortured mind.

Looking on longingly as Nadal hoisted the Musketeers' Cup, the 10-times slam champion said: "I'm a bit sad but I fought, I tried.

"I know I can do it now, that's for sure. If I get it eventually, the sweeter it's going to taste."

Federer knew the numbers were stacked against him on Sunday, though.

NUMBERS GAME

Nadal had captured 16 claycourt titles, Federer's total stood at six. The Spaniard had a 20-0 win-loss record in Paris against 26-8 for the Swiss. Most notably, Federer had come up short in their two previous Roland Garros meetings.

But the 25-year-old harboured hopes of narrowing his 1-5 claycourt record against Nadal having beaten him just 21 days ago in the final of the Hamburg Masters.

【体坛资讯：Nadal bags French Open hat-trick】相关文章：

★ 体坛英语资讯：Bremen promote Nouri as head coach

★ 娱乐资讯： Jessica Alba and Cash Warren split

★ 娱乐英语资讯：Who is the greenest celebrity?

★ 娱乐英语资讯：Lindsay Lohan to be caught on tape

★ 娱乐英语资讯：Sandra Bullock, husband unhurt in head-on crash

★ 娱乐资讯：Baby number three for Pretty Woman Julia Roberts

★ 娱乐资讯： Lohan goes from pretty kid to party girl

★ 娱乐资讯： Jolie drops battle over perfume named Shiloh

★ 娱乐英语资讯：Radcliffe receives death threat

★ 娱乐资讯：Paris Hilton released from jail