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Hello and welcome to live rolling updates of the weather. Here's something to get you in the mood. This is what we're hopingfor in Paris this afternoon. But we might get this instead. Boo! So here's the situation. After a fitful day's play yesterday, Rafael Nadal currently leadsNovak Djokovic by two sets to one - but that doesn't get close totelling the full story. Which is that for the first two sets,Nadal, the supreme clay court player, battered Djokovic and lookedlike he was going to storm to a straight-sets victory for hisseventh French Open title. Indeed his name was being scrawled on tothe trophy again when he took a 2-0 lead in the third set, butDjokovic, whose refusal to give in is starting to make the 98-99Manchester United team look like a bunch of quitters, astonishinglyfought back to take the set and then break at the start of thefourth. He led 2-1 and had won eight games in a row, usuallyunthinkable against Nadal on clay. And then the rain came, savingNadal. How it will affect the players? Who's going to be the Henmanand who'll be the Ivanisevic? The score: Rafael Nadal leads 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 1-2 with Djokovic on serve. Play is set to start at: 12pm. The rain is set to start at: 11.59am. Well, it seems we're going to get some play. It's gloomy and cloudy in Paris, but at least it's not raining.For now. Here come the players. They're not wasting time here. Will it be the usual baseline grindor will both players start with cylinders ablaze? An email while the players knock up. "Whaaaat?" says Sarunas Mazalas. "Am I blind or ITV is notbroadcasting this game today? Can't be true! I was super excitedbecause of the rain in Paris yesterday as I had a chance to watchFormula-1 and Rep. of Ireland playing Croatia yesterday. And now...just like punch in the face from ITV. I'm so disappointed! Who gavethe broadcasting rights to that TV!?" The match is on ITV4. Not enough to knock Loose Women out of itsprime slot. Fourth set: Djokovic* 4-6, 3-6, 6-2, 2-2 Nadal (*denotes server): This is almost a free hit at the Djokovic serve for Nadal, whoreally was starting to feel the heat - if that was possible inthese conditions - by the end yesterday. Djokovic has had 18 hoursto think about this first serve. And this is the worst possiblestart for him. You almost knew it would be this way. Some excellentsportsmanship from Nadal follows that, as he points out a firstserve from Djokovic that was called out was in, and the good karmarubs off on him as he takes a 15-30 lead, before a forehand intothe net gives him a break point at 30-40. He gets even luckierthen, as a backhand clips the top of the net, forcing Djokovic toadvance forward. There's not much he can do with the shot, andNadal picks him off with a simple passing backhand. It's all level. Fourth set: Djokovic 4-6, 3-6, 6-2, 2-3 Nadal*: Vrooooooooom. That's the sound of a fizzing Nadal backhandscreaming past Djokovic. The instant break has done wonders for hisconfidence and Djokovic is struggling to deal with thedisappointment of being losing his serve straight away. Nadalconsolidates the break by holding to love, unforced errors fromDjokovic making it easy for him. "Whatever happens today, I thinkNadal has blown it," says Dan Smith. "He'd made progress inAustralia but now he's wasted all that by showing Djokovic that,whatever his advantage and even on clay, Djokovic can get insidehis head. I can't see him beating him at Wimbledon or the US Opennow." Fourth set: Djokovic* 4-6, 3-6, 6-2, 3-3 Nadal: Nadal's forehands are scaring me and I'm in London. Is he human? Idon't think he's human. He's inches away with one on to the line Djokovic was nowhere near it and Djokovic holds on to win hisfirst game of the day after a pinpoint backhand winner. This isvery nicely poised, isn't it. Fourth set: Djokovic 4-6, 3-6, 6-2, 3-4 Nadal*: The RafaDroid keeps pummelling deep forehands over the net butthey're being met with thumping returns from the NovakBot up theother end of the court. But the Nadal forehand is the morepunishing weapon at the moment, especially when he keeps it flatand he currently has a wafer-thin edge. It's so tight. At 40-15,Djokovic whacks a forehand pass down the line. It would be abrilliant winner against any other player, but somehow Nadalreaches it, whips a defensive cross-court forehand back over thenet and it drops so short that Djokovic can't make up the distance.It's like playing against a sentient brick wall. Fourth set: Djokovic* 4-6, 3-6, 6-2, 4-4 Nadal: It's getting dark and people are putting umbrellas up. Oh oh. Thatsaid, the crowd don't want this one to finish quickly - a classiccould be brewing - and whoop when a defensive Nadal lob lands long.The tension increases even further, though, when Djokovic whacks abackhand well beyond the baseline, betraying his nerves to make it30-all. Nadal is only two points away from serving for the final so Djokovic unnerves him with some old-fashioned serve-and-volley,and then seals the game with an ace out wide. Oh I say! "Watchingthe final with my folks here in Nigeria, I hope Djokovic doesn'tdisappoint cos am rooting for him," says Tun Segs. "Hood job jacob(ps:is it that y'all are so funny in guardian?)" Everyone exceptfor Tom Lutz. Fourth set: Djokovic 4-6, 3-6, 6-2, 4-5 Nadal*: Is Nadal holding a tennis racket or the hammer that weird NorseGod uses in the Avengers? A love hold, again, as Djokovic slaps aforehand into the net and now Nadal is one game away from hisseventh French Open final. "Really Mr Smith?" says Gary Naylor. "Isuspect Nadal and Djokovic have far too many miles on the clock tolet an hour in Paris determine the shape of the Slam season. Thegreat thing about these two is that there is so little betweenthem, yet their games and personalities are so different. I suspectwe've a few very close finals to be shared fairly evenly over thenext couple of years - with the odd Del Potro or Tsonga tilt thrownin. (Can't see Murray nor Federer having enough to take a slamthough)." I'd say Play has been stopped. It's raining and the umpires are out, checking Nadal is concernedabout the balls catching water when they land at the back of thecourt. The crowd are unhappy. But it's actually tipping it downnow. "Save the balls," orders Nadal. He doesn't want them taking onany more moisture and they've been put back in their cans. Theplayers are staying on court though. Djokovic will have to waitbefore he can serve to stay in the final. It doesn't get much moredramatic than this. It's just a shower. They're back out. Fourth set: Djokovic* 4-6, 3-6, 6-2, 5-5 Nadal: Djokovic, tougher than a steak cooked to within an inch of itslife, isn't about to let the pressure affect him though. He waitsand waits, building up to a huge forehand that Nadal blocks long tomake it 15-0. He then loses his head a little, wildly blazing aforehand long, but more than makes up for it by putting away asmash. He then drags Nadal away from the centre with a superbcross-court backhand, and then whips a forehand away. Justbrilliant tennis. Fourth set: Djokovic 4-6, 3-6, 6-2, 5-6 Nadal*: A Nadal ace to make it 30-0 brings a standing ovation from UncleToni, who of course has deigned not to wear a jacket. But thenNadal is admonished by the crowd for arguing with the umpire aftera Djokovic shot is called in. It looked out to me, but Nadaldoesn't really have a case, because he didn't stop the point andplayed on. The point goes to Djokovic and rightly so. 30-15.Djokovic dominates the next point to make it 30-all. Nadal digsdeep to make it 30-all and then another brilliant rally follows,full of awesome forehands from Nadal and stout defence fromDjokovic. Nadal comes to the net, puts too much on a volley but islet off as Djokovic's lob lands long. That's the game. And so nowthe spotlight is on Djokovic. NADAL WINS 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5! The moment of truth for both players. Perhaps more so for Djokovicand for once, at the most crucial stage of the match, he tightensup. A loose forehand from Djokovic makes it 30-all and suddenlyNadal senses this is his big chance, pushing Djokovic back andthumping a forehand away to bring up match - championship - point.It's the fifth match point Djokovic has faced in this tournament.He's saved four, of course. Can he save a fifth? As it turns out,the match ends on the dampest of squibs as Djokovic chooses theworst possible moment to double fault, watching in horror as hissecond serve lands long. Oh no. What a terribly sad way for thefinal to end. Not that Nadal cares. He collapses to his knees, andwith good reasons - at 26 years of age, he's just won his seventh French Open. Seven French Opens. Take a moment to let that sink in. He's only 26. The man is aphenomenon. History was always going to be made by one of theseplayers today. For Novak Djokovic, indisputably the best player inthe world over the last year, it was the chance to hold all fourgrand slams at once. But to achieve that feat against Rafael Nadal,that was always going to be a tall order. So, instead, it's Nadalwho's rewritten the record books, eclipsing Bjorn Borgs record ofsix French Opens. How many more is he going to win? It's not astretch to tip him to make it into double figures. He only droppedone set the third in this final in this tournament. He's notgoing anywhere. An unfamiliar sensation for Novak Djokovic. It's not often he's had to settle for second best over the lastyear; indeed he'd beaten Nadal in the last three grand slam finalsbefore today. But not here. Not on Nadal's territory. For theseventh time in eight years, the Spanish anthem blares out aroundthe Philippe Chatrier court to herald a Nadal win. He even lets atear roll down his cheek. Can't have everything, I suppose. Thanksfor reading. Bye. I am an expert from plastic-packagingbags.com, while we provides the quality product, such as Stand Up Pouches Manufacturer , Sanitary Napkin Bags, Food Packaging Bags,and more.
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