Nadal defends his French title successfully

Rafael Nadal claimed his third successive French Open title with victory over great rival Roger Federer in today's final.

The Spaniard was pushed hard by the world number one, but eventually served out the fourth set to prevail 6-3 4-6 6-3 6-4.

Second seed Nadal remains unbeaten at Roland Garros since making his debut here in 2005.

Nadal spared a thought for Federer after wrapping up the victory.

He said: “I’m sorry for Federer, he’s a terrific player and a great competitor.

“The first set was very important, he had a lot of break points.

“It’s just a dream to win here and I’ve got to keep working to get better and better.”

Federer added: “He put the youngsters to the sword here, Rafa Nadal is just awesome.”