French open 2012 Features

After all of those Grand Slam finals between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, a record eight in all, there's a new tantalizing tennis rivalry.

Rafael Nadal is so unflinching, so nearly unbeatable, while sliding and grinding and pounding his way past opponent after opponent at the French Open. Away from the red clay, Nadal is human, of course. Humble, even.

Rafael Nadal, whose on-court routine includes picking the rear of his shorts and diligently lining up his water bottles, labels facing away, is making a habit of winning French Opens.

Every sport has its list of legends. In the tennis hall of fame, Rafael Nadal's very own palatial space is prime property. Today the Spaniard also stepped firmly into history books becoming the first player ever to win seven French Open Men's Singles titles.

It is tempting to say that the most entertaining moment in the women's French Open final was when the stadium announcer fluffed her lines during the trophy presentation and mistakenly introduced the winner, Maria Sharapova, as the runner-up. Ho-ho, how the crowd laughed.

The afternoon at Roland Garros started with rain pouring down and the joke going around among Indian fans was that the monsoons had arrived in Paris on the day Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza were playing their mixed doubles final.

Maria Sharapova is trying to break through at Roland Garros, while Rafael Nadal wants to make history there.

Mahesh Bhupathi is a ladies man. He qualifies for arguably being one of the best mixed doubles players in the world. On June 7th, his 38th birthday, he claimed his 12th Grand Slam trohpy when he won the French Open mixed doubles title with compatriot Sania Mirza.

Heading into the quarterfinals of the French Open, the men's draw includes all the usual suspects - Djokovic, Nadal, Federer - while the names on the women's bracket look as if they've been picked out of a hat.

The 27th-seeded Mikhail Youzhny of Russia was on the wrong end of a shutout set on Saturday and decided he needed to apologize right then and there to the ticket-buyers in the seats at Court Suzanne Lenglen.

Penniless girl with big tennis dreams quits bleak, struggling Russia for the United States, leaves mother behind and makes a Grand Slam breakthrough.

Spain's claycourt masters tightened their stranglehold on one half of the French Open draw on Saturday with both David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro reaching the last 16 with straight sets wins.

On a busy day of tennis at the French Open, the top-ranked man and woman were left racing against the clock.

Almost from the moment Venus and Serena Williams appeared on the Grand Slam scene in the late 1990s, they've been winning titles and transcending tennis, becoming red-carpet celebrities as much as sports stars.

Rafael Nadal has made a habit of celebrating at Roland Garros, and it's not just because his June 3 birthday falls during the French Open.

Rafael Nadal, like all tennis professionals, travels the world year in, year out, but even he finds it hard going at times.

On a sleepy Roland Garros afternoon, Roger Federer found himself discussing life lessons in tennis, carrying the Swiss flag at the Olympics...and Queen Elizabeth's diamond jubilee.

Between bites of some "frites" at the players' restaurant, Oracene Price smiled at the thought of being back at the French Open with her daughters, Serena and Venus Williams.