Rafa Nadal opened his grasscourt season on Wednesday with a ruthlessly efficient 6-2 6-2 victory over experienced Swede Jonas Bjorkman at the Queen's Club ATP tournament.

The 36-year-old Bjorkman, 14 years older and now ranked 100 places below the top seed, could not cope with Rafa's pinpoint power, despite his strong grasscourt credentials as a former Wimbledon semi-finalist and multi-grand slam doubles champion.

Rafa, looked fresh and moved well despite the transition to grass which he described as difficult.

"The movements are so different and the feeling when you touch the ball," he said. "I need more days to know whether I am really playing well."

Rafa has translated his claycourt mastery in the last two years by reaching the final at Wimbledon.

Next up for Rafa will be Japanese player Kei Nishikori, another player whom he's never played before.

Well done Rafa!

Rafal Nadal v Jonas Bjorkman

Rafa Nadal is entitled to feel a degree of concern about the Swede Jonas Bjorkman, his first opponent in the Artois Championships because he is one of the most experienced players in the world at the age of 36. He has maintained a position within the top 75 in the world for 14 years and his singles ranking is now 102nd. He came into this tournament as a wild card and will relish the opportunity to take on Nadal as his first singles opponent since the Spaniard won the French Open for the fourth time on Sunday. 

jorkman is a doubles specialist with nine Grand Slam titles and was a singles semi-finalist at Wimbledon only two years ago, losing to Roger Federer. For Rafa, after his great deeds on clay, the task now is to ready himself for the challenge of grass.

DOUBLES RESULTS

Rafa was back in action in the first round of the Artois Championships at the Queen's Club in London on Tuesday.

Him and doubles partner Argentine Mariano Hood got a wild card entry into the field and lost to the first-time pairing of South Americans Fernando Gonzalez and Nicolas Lapentti 7-6(4), 7-5.

Hood and Rafa won 50% of second serve points compared to Gonzalez and Lapentti's 70%.

Nadal was unbeatable in the land of Paris and was crowned for the fourth consecutive time as champion at Roland Garros with great authority. This time he didn’t find on Federer a rival who measure up to him and won by the fast track. Three sets and a lot of tennis.

Rafa received the trophy from Bjorn Bjorgo hands, who until now had been the only tennis player winner of four Roland Garros in a row, and celebrated his victory as if it was the first one.

There is no doubt that what he has made in Paris today, will go down in history as one of the greatest days of the Spanish tennis.

Rafa Nadal blasted his way into the history books with a comprehensive straight-sets win over his friend, world number one Roger Federer in Paris. With the 6-1 6-3 6-0 victory, Rafa took his place alongside tennis legend Bjorn Borg as the only players to have won four consecutive French Open titles.

Perhaps Roger didn't expect the match to go that way (the Swiss ace was also looking for his slice of history as only the sixth player to win all four grand slams) but Rafa's overwhelming power didn't allow him to find his rhythm.

An rather interesting start to the match was frustrating Roger, whose 12 unforced errors to Rafa's three handed the opening set 6-1 in just 32 minutes.

Showing signs of early nerves, Roger struggled to find himself, losing his opening service game and going 15-40 down in his second, before clawing his way back to take the score to 1-2.

But that was to be his only success in the first set as Rafa held serve in the fourth before breaking again in the next to open up a three-game lead. The Spaniard closed out the set after holding serve, breaking for a third time as Federer put a forehand volley long.

BRILLIANCE

The second set was a more competitive affair, although Roger made a similar start to the first set before rallying briefly.

Despite showing moments of brilliance he never really troubled Rafa, winning just three games as the Mallorcan took the set 6-3 to leave the top seed two sets adrift and staring down both barrels however, the Roland Garros crowd went wild as the Swiss ace broke Rafa for the first time in the third game and then held serve to force his way back into the set and level the scores at two games apiece.

EXCHANGE

Both players held serve in their following three games but it was Rafa who broke the deadlock in the eighth, breaking Federer with a brilliantly executed forehand down the line after a lengthy exchange of deuces before serving out for a two-set lead.

Again Federer lost his first service game of the third set and from there things simply didn't work for Roger, as Rafa took a stranglehold on the set to open up a 4-0 lead.

After breaking Federer again in the fifth game it was only left for the 22-year-old to hold serve to claim his place in history in less than two hours of play.

To emphasise his total dominance on the Roland Garros clay, Rafa did not drop a set on his way to the title.

Vamos, Rafa!

Rafa Nadal withstood a late fightback by Novak Djokovic to beat the world number three 6-4 6-2 7-6 at the French Open on Friday and muscle his way into the final for the fourth consecutive year.

The three-times defending champion saved a set point in the third set to win in two hours 49 minutes and advance to a final against world number one Roger Federer, who is thrilled "to play Rafa again"

"It was a very high quality match," said Rafa, who is still unbeaten at Roland Garros. "I am just very happy to be in the final again."

Having pushed the Spaniard hard on their last meeting in the semi-finals of Hamburg, Djokovic was expected to provide Nadal with by far his toughest test yet. Rafa, however, meant business from the word go and, with Bjorn Borg -- the only man to win the title four times in a row -- watching in the stands, broke to lead 2-1.

Djokovic looked bemused for much of the match. Several times the Serbian thought he had done enough to win a point and Nadal came up with something spectacular to deny him.

The Spaniard broke Djokovic in the opening game of the second set and the third seed capitulated in the face of Rafa's relentless hitting.

Djokovic had just one chance in the second set -- a break point in the fourth game -- but Rafa snuffed it out with a good serve and cruised through the rest of the set. After that, he surged ahead 3-0 in the third set, Djokovic finally broke serve and held his arms aloft in mock celebration.

He became more aggressive, breaking back when Rafa served for the match at 5-4 and forcing a set point at 6-5 which Rafa saved. The Spaniard played a brilliant tiebreak, winning it 7-3 to clinch a victory that ensures he will stay ahead of Djokovic as the world number two.

Rafa is only the third man in the Open Era, after Borg and Ivan Lendl to reach the final in four successive years.

Rafa Nadal celebrated his 22nd birthday in customary fashion as he posted an emphatic victory over fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro in the quarter-finals of the French Open.

Rafa barely broke sweat against the number 19 seed, romping to a 6-1 6-1 6-1 win as his opponent froze in what were admittedly chilly conditions out on Roland Garros' Philippe Chatrier Court.

The second seed's walk-in-the-park victory tees up a blockbuster semi-final clash with Novak Djokovic, the number three seed, who dispatched Ernests Gulbis to progress earlier on Tuesday

The reigning three-time champion's crushing victory means he has lost only 25 games in five matches since the start of the tournament, and remains the only competitor in the men's draw who has not dropped a set.

For his part, Almagro appeared to be a shadow of the player that beat 10th seed Andy Murray and home favourite Jeremy Chardy to reach his first grand slam quarter-final, winning only 52% of his first service points - the same number Rafa won on his second.

Djokovic is sure to provide a sterner test in the next round as he bids to match Bjorn Borg's record of four French Open titles in succession.

The number three seed took his time to stamp his authority on a match that was hampered by blustery winds and one heavy downpour, but in the end found the winners when it mattered to claim a 7-5 7-6 (7/3) 7-5 win in three hours and seven minutes.

Rafa Nadal admitted he was surprised by the ease with which he booked his place in the quarter-finals of the French Open today.

The 21-year-old secured his 25th consecutive win at Roland Garros as he sent Fernando Verdasco tumbling out in the last 16 with a dominant display, despite struggling with a blister on his foot.

If Rafa was in any pain it did not show and he was always in control of the all-Spanish fourth-round encounter, posting a 6-1 6-0 6-2 triumph that keeps his quest to equal Bjorn Borg's record of four consecutive Roland Garros titles well on track.

Few would have bet against a Rafa win in this one, but Verdasco's capitulation was more unexpected, especially after his solid win against number 15 seed Mikhail Youzhny in the last round.

Rafa said: "I was surprised - 6-1 6-0 6-2 in the fourth round of a grand slam? It is not usual.

"But I played a lot better today, better than the last few days. The day off yesterday helped me a little bit."

Rafa made short work of wrapping up the first set, breaking Verdasco's first service game of the match and looking controlled and untroubled thereafter.

A further break followed to confirm Rafa's dominance over his fellow left-hander, who has now failed to beat the reigning champion in six career meetings.

A 50-minute rain delay with the score at 6-1 1-0 disrupted proceedings, but when the players returned Nadal secured a quick break of serve to maintain the remorseless trend.

Rafa was forced to save a break point at 5-0 but some typically bullish groundstrokes swung the set back in his favour and he claimed the second to love.

Verdasco received treatment for a leg injury at the end of the second set and was visibly labouring as the third began.

The 24-year-old hobbled along bravely, playing a couple of supreme winners and claiming a break of serve for 1-1 as he gradually began to shake off his injury.

But he could not hold back the Rafa tide for long, and after the players exchanged numerous breaks of serve in a gung-ho third set, Verdasco ultimately succumbed to the better competitor.

Rafa's record on the Roland Garros clay might be unrivalled, but he insisted after his latest victory he is never over-confident heading into a match at the venue he has made his own.

"I have great respect for all my opponents - I don't have more confidence," he said.

"I know that I have to play 100% if I want to make it, but I know that all matches are going to be difficult."

Next up for Rafa is a clash with fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro, who was made to fight all the way in his last-16 clash with unseeded Frenchman Jeremy Chardy before eventually emerging with a 7-6 (7/0) 7-6 (9/7) 7-5 win.

Rafa said of the 19th seed: "He is a very good player. He has a beautiful serve, a very powerful serve. So I'll have to try and impose my rhythm, not let him take the initiative and make him run."

The match against a fellow clay-court specialist will be a stern challenge for Rafa, who has earmarked Almagro as one of "three or four" players who could deny him a fourth title.

"[It is] probably going to be my toughest match this week," he added.