Can’t argue with that. Since his French Open debut at age 18 in May 2005, Nadal is 52-1 for his career at the tournament, the only loss coming to Robin Soderling in the fourth round in 2009. He’s just as good elsewhere on clay, too: Nadal’s won eight titles at Monte Carlo, seven at Barcelona, six at Rome.

Asked to explain his success on the surface, Nadal pointed not to his uppercut of a topspin-slathered forehand, or his superior returns of serve, but rather to his movement, his mental fortitude, and this: “I always was scared to lose.’’

Djokovic gave Nadal reason for added concern, having beaten him in the finals at Wimbledon in July, the U.S. Open in September, and the Australian Open in January. Djokovic was attempting to be only the third man to win four major tournaments in succession, joining Don Budge in 1938, and Rod Laver in 1962 and 1969.

Alas, Djokovic ran into Nadal at Roland Garros. The same thing happened to Roger Federer in 2006 and 2007, when his Grand Slam bids fell one win short because of losses to Nadal in the French Open final.

“For us, it was very important to win here now against Djokovic, because we knew that if he won again, the fourth one, then (Rafa) completing a Grand Slam of losses would have been ugly,’’ said Toni Nadal, Rafael’s uncle and coach. “And we were very close to doing that.’’

Instead, his nephew gained ground on Federer’s record of 16 Grand Slam titles, tying Borg and Laver for fourth place.

Borg walked away from the sport at age 25 after losing the 1981 Wimbledon and U.S. Open finals to John McEnroe.

“If Borg had kept playing until he was 30, he might have won 10 French Opens — something Nadal could wind up doing if he keeps playing,’’ said Corrado Barazzutti, a top-10 player in the 1970s who lost all 10 career matches against the Swede.