French Open | Rafael Nadal overwhelms Roger Federer

PARIS — So what was Roger Federer to do with the elusive French Open trophy once again in sight and Rafael Nadal of Spain looming larger than ever across the net?

Stay back and rally? Definitely not. Nadal was too quick, too powerful and too steady, with unforced errors creeping in as rarely as sunshine during this tournament.

Why not attack the net? More sensible, yet Nadal's dipping passing shots were so precise, so forceful that they kept requiring the swooping Swiss to dig balls out of the dirt or twist his neck to watch a winner land on the sideline or the baseline.

No, the answer for the millions of Federer fans worldwide who would like nothing better than for their man to win the lone Grand Slam event singles title he lacks was that there was no solution available to Federer in his current state of form and Nadal's current state of grace.

In a final that rarely resembled anything other than one-way traffic, Nadal was at his clay-covering, forehand-whipping finest as he won his fourth consecutive French Open by beating up on the erratic, increasingly dispirited Federer.

The stunning score — 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 — was the most lopsided result in a major men's final since John McEnroe also surrendered a mere four games against Jimmy Connors at Wimbledon in 1984.

"I was walking out worrying about losing; it would have been impossible to imagine it would turn out like this," Nadal said. "I think I played an almost-perfect match, and Roger made more mistakes than usual."

The victory was the finishing touch on one of the most dominant performances in Grand Slam tournament history. The left-handed Nadal, whose record at Roland Garros is 28-0, did not lose a set in this tournament. The last man to do that here was Swedish superstar Bjorn Borg in 1980, and Borg is the only other man to win four consecutive singles title in Paris.

Borg, his blond hair gone gray, was in the front row of the president's box for the entirety of this 1-hour, 48-minute rout, and he later awarded Nadal the Coupe des Mousquetaires, which is beginning to seem like a formality in Paris.

"I would have hoped, of course, to get more today than four games," Federer said in French in a quiet, slightly sheepish voice as he addressed the crowd. "But Rafa is really very, very strong this year.

"He dominated this tournament like perhaps never before. Like Bjorn. He deserves this title."

The defeat was Federer's most lopsided loss in any Grand Slam match in his career and marked the fewest games he has won in any match — best-of-three or best-of-five — since losing to David Nalbandian 6-2, 6-1 in the second round in Monte Carlo in 2002.

Losing to Nadal on clay in Paris was no surprise. Federer was beaten by Nadal in the semifinals in 2005 and the final in 2006 and 2007. But Federer managed to win at least one set in those matches.

Nadal was on a higher plane, as he controlled rallies with his wicked spin and grunting athleticism and ripped big holes in Federer's plan of attack. Nadal leads their head-to-head series 11-6, and has won nine of their 10 matches on clay.

"I definitely think he's improved," Federer said. "He's much better on defense, much better on offense. When you really cannot play your game and he can play exactly what he wants from the baseline, well, you end up with scores like this sometimes."