Top 2 stand on brink of history

Novak Djokovic will arrive at Roland Garros seven wins away from becoming the first man for 43 years to hold all four Grand Slam titles concurrently — the only trouble is one of his victims will probably have to be claycourt king Rafa Nadal. The 25-year-old Serb will be seeded one at the French Open, courtesy of the top ranking that goes with being the current Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open champion. However, few will mark him down as favourite with Nadal, who Djokovic calls the "ultimate challenge" on clay, peaking at just the right time to chase a seventh Paris title and move him ahead of Bjorn Borg in the pantheon of Roland Garros champions. Last year, Djokovic began in Paris on a clay court roll after beating Nadal in the Madrid and Rome finals — only to fall to an inspired Roger Federer in the semi-finals. His form this year has been impressive, if not quite as spectacular as last year when he won his first 41 matches of 2011 before the four-set loss to Federer.He has also relinquished his iron-like hold over Nadal — losing in the Monte Carlo and Rome finals having won his previous seven matches against the Mallorcan powerhouse. Having beaten a rejuvenated Federer in the Rome semis, however, and with world number four Andy Murray not in the best form or fitness, there appear few natural barriers to prevent Djokovic facing his day of destiny on June 10. Four grand slams "It's there and a possibility to win four Grand Slams in a row and I am going to prepare as I prepare for any other big event with more focus," Djokovic said after his 7-5, 6-3 defeat by Nadal in the Italian capital, a match that was too close to call for much of a brutal first set. Should he win his first French Open title Djokovic would join Australia's Rod Laver (1962 and 1969) and American Don Budge (1938) as holders of all four slams at the same time. To achieve it now, however, would be a considerably greater feat as back then three of the four slams were played on grass whereas now players must master three surfaces. Another title for Nadal would leave little room for argument about the left-hander's credentials as the greatest clay court player of all time. After beating Federer in last year's final to draw level with Borg, Nadal failed to win another tournament until last month in Monte Carlo — a worrying gap that revived questions about the effect his playing style was having on his body. Lost to Verdasco He then won in Barcelona and, apart from a blip on Madrid's experimental blue clay when he lost to fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, Nadal has looked supreme. Getting the better of Djokovic in Monte Carlo and Rome would have given him an enormous boost. In winning the Madrid title and briefly returning to world number two Federer delighted his armies of fans and if the weather in Paris is warm and the courts fast the evergreen Swiss will be a serious contender. Murray proved last year in reaching the semi-finals and pushing Nadal close that he has both the firepower and patience to be a threat. Czech piledriver Tomas Berdych, the world number seven, is high on confidence after some scintillating displays of late, while world number five Jo-Wilfried Tsonga could also ignite home passions if he arrives with his A-game.