Spaniard wins rain-affected final in four sets to eclipse Borg By Mark Kendall - Twitter: @SkySportsMK. Last Updated: June 11, 2012 2:15pm 10 0 Sky Bet Sky Bet are offering all new customers a £10 Completely Free Bet Claim your free bet now Rafael Nadal made history by securing a record seventh French Open title on Monday, winning his weather-affected final with Novak Djokovic in four sets. With play having been held over after persistent rain on Sunday, it was the Spaniard who prevailed as he recorded a 6-4 6-3 2-6 7-5 victory that saw him eclipse the six titles of Bjorn Borg. Resuming a break down at 2-1 in the fourth set, Nadal started in the same vein as he had on Sunday when he raced into a 3-0 lead in the first set, clearly much more comfortable with the dry conditions and lack of moisture in the balls that had hampered him later that evening. A couple of lapses from Djokovic were pounced on and he secured an immediate break back, although there was a slice of fortune about it with a net-cord leaving Djokovic helpless at the net as Nadal fizzed a backhand pass into the open court. With the Spaniard having snatched the early momentum, Djokovic did well to recover and settled any nerves by holding to level as an increasingly tense set remained on serve. Both players were taken to 30-30 on their delivery but, on each occasion, would go on to escape as their opponent threw in an unforced error, but it was Nadal who put himself on the brink when three huge forehands secured him a break point at 6-5, 30-40. Double-fault With Djokovic's famed powers of recovery it came as a big shock then when the world number one double-faulted to hand his opponent victory and a place in Roland Garros folklore. Yesterday's first part had certainly not been short on drama, whether it was the fluctuating fortunes of both men or the weather itself. Nadal had looked dominat as he moved two sets and a break up, but after a rain delay of three hours the wet and heavy conditions affected the Spaniard both physically and mentally during the third and fourth sets. From 0-2 down in the third, Djokovic reeled off eight straight games to get himself right back into the match and it was Nadal who had been desperate to get off the court on Sunday evening. The Spaniard was getting increasingly irate as they continued to play, the balls so wet and laden with clay that he could not impart his vicious spin. But he did manage to hold serve in the final game before play was abandoned and that hold turned out to be crucial when play resumed on Monday. Meanwhile, the defeat meant that Djokovic failed in his bid to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four grand slam trophies at once following three successive grand slam final victories over Nadal.

McLaren owner says any new contract would have to strike a 'balance'

Last Updated: June 11, 2012 12:17pm

• 0
• 0

Lewis Hamilton and Ron Dennis celebrate in Montreal

Sky Bet

• 2012 Drivers' Championship

  • Lewis Hamilton11/4
  • Fernando Alonso3/1
  • Sebastian Vettel3/1

• 2012 Constructors' Championship

• £10 Free Bet

McLaren Chairman Ron Dennis has hinted that Lewis Hamilton may have to accept a less lucrative contract if he decides to stay on at the team into 2013 owing to the current economic climate.

THE ONLY PLACE TO BE

Sky Sports F1 HD is THE only place to watch the 2012 Formula 1 season in full live. Our extensive coverage continues with the European Grand Prix on 22 -24th June.
FRIDAY 22nd - P1 from 8.45am. P2from 12.45pm
SATURDAY 23rd - P3 from 9.45am.Q from 12pm
SUNDAY 24th - Race from 11.30am
To find out all the different ways to watch the action, click here

Hamilton's current deal at McLaren expires at the end of the season and reports in the British press last month suggested that the Woking outfit, who are desperate to hang onto the driver they have nurtured since the age of 13, were poised to offer the 2008 World Champion a new five-year, £100m contract which would make him the joint highest-paid driver in Formula 1.

But with the current worldwide financial climate very different to the one Hamilton signed his last five-year contract in back in early 2008, Dennis has suggested there will need to be a "balance" struck in talks over a new deal.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 in the aftermath of Hamilton's first victory of the season in Canada, which saw him regain the lead of the Drivers' Championship, Dennis said: "It's a complex situation. He's on the end of a contract which was signed at a time when the economy was somewhat different and now there has to be a balance between that."

Asked by Martin Brundle if he meant Hamilton would have to accept a pay cut, Dennis replied: "He's very highly paid. He's certainly paid more than I am!"

Hamilton has been linked with all three of the Woking team's main rivals - Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes -and Dennis added that it was natural that both driver and McLaren themselves would be looking at alternative options in case a new contract didn't materialise.

However, the former Team Principal expressed hope that Hamilton's long-established ties to McLaren will prove a decisive factor.

"You're obviously going to look at what's available; where can he go - he's going to look at that - we're going to look at who's available," Dennis added.

"At the end of the day, hopefully, the fact that he's been part of this team from the beginning of his career will pay a significant role in whatever decisions both sides make. But it's a little early to be talking about it."

After a turbulent year both on and off the track in 2011, McLaren Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh has spoken about the emergence of a more mature Hamilton this year and Dennis says he has also seen signs that the 27-year-old is a far more relaxed character so far this season.

Dennis - Contracts complicated with Hamilton

"Lewis had a tough year last year for lots of reasons and not all of them on track or in car, some of them came from things [that] happened in his life," he said.

"He's still a young guy and I always think, slightly morbidly, the last thing you learn is how to die and at the end of the day everybody learns every single day. He's in a challenging part of his life, I think he's come through it well now, he's much more focused and more relaxed, and that I think is [important].

"Being relaxed is what the team needs to be. We were too tense in the last races. Some of these mistakes which were made were too much pressure and this race will relax the team as a whole."