Italy win the semi final of Euro 2012

Mario Balotelli has described his match-winning performance in Italy's Euro 2012 semi-final victory over Germany as "the best night of my life".

The 21-year-old Manchester City striker scored two first-half goals to set the platform for the 2-1 win, dedicating the victory to his adopted mum Silvia.

The Azzurri will now play favourites Spain in Sunday's final.

"This was the greatest night of my life and I hope Sunday will be better," Balotelli said.

At the final whistle, Balotelli sought out his family and embraced them in the stands. "At the end of the game I went to my mother - that was the best moment," he added.

"I told her these goals were for her. I waited a long time for this moment, especially as my mother is not young anymore and can't travel far, so I had to make her happy when she came all the way here. My father will be in Kiev for the final too."

Balotelli's two goals took him joint top of the Euro 2012 scoring charts with three. "I will try to win the top scorer award," he said.

"In football sometimes you can try so many times and it doesn't go in, or try few and it does all the time. It was a fantastic assist, the kind only Antonio Cassano can provide, while Riccardo Montolivo's pass was great too."

He celebrated his second goal by taking off his shirt and striking a typically defiant pose. "They didn't get angry because I was booked for taking my shirt off, but they saw my physique and got jealous," he joked.

Balotelli, who was substituted midway through the second half, dismissed any injury worries and declared himself fit for Sunday's final. "I had cramp and was a little tired, but I told the coach to wait five minutes and by that point the substitution was already in progress. It's fine."

Italy now meet Spain for the second time in the tournament, having played out a 1-1 draw in the group stages. And Balotelli believes that, despite Germany's lacklustre performance, the Azzurri are in the final on merit.

"When Italy win it is because the other team played bad," he said. "I think we won because we were better and we deserved it.

"We are with Spain, we are the two best teams in the tournament," he added.

"I hope to win, I don't care if I play badly as long as we give our all. We have to relax, mustn't get frustrated with Spain's possession and keep playing our football.

"We are the only side to have scored against Spain so far. We proved that we are equal to them, if not more, and we want to win."

Italy coach Cesare Prandelli said Balotelli's performance had proved he had developed into a team player and not just an individual.

"Mario is rather unique, he's atypical. He's very strong and fights for the team. He's always been there when called upon and he fights in the penalty area," he said.

"The career of Mario Balotelli has only just begun."

Not all the Italians were as content, however. Captain and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon stormed off the field at the final whistle, furious at Italy's failure to convert a host of second-half chances that would have put the result beyond doubt.

"I was annoyed because I don't celebrate second place and I was angry with us because we could have avoided the difficult final five minutes," Buffon said.

"When you can score seven goals against Germany, you have to score seven because if they come back to 2-2 they'll beat you 10-2 in extra-time. We need to be more mature and to know that even if football is a game, when you reach the European Championship final, it's no longer a game."

Andrea Pirlo, who was named man-of-the-match, also sounded a note of caution for Sunday's final. "We haven't done anything yet," he said. "There's no use going to Rome and not seeing the Pope. We want to go home with this cup." (BBC)

Another Great Victory of Spain in Euro 2012

The Barcelona midfielder put Spain into Sunday's Euro 2012 final, drilling his penalty in off the left-hand post to spark scenes of jubilation.

Joao Moutinho and Bruno Alves missed for Portugal, with Cristiano Ronaldo a frustrated, unused fifth penalty-taker.

The match finished 0-0 after extra-time with neither side doing enough to win.

It took until half past midnight local time to get there, but Fabregas, who had scored the winning penalty in the Euro 2008 quarter-final win over Italy, ensured Spain proceeded to a final against Germany or Italy on Sunday and remain on course for an unprecedented third successive tournament victory.

The world champions have now won their past nine knockout games at major tournaments without conceding a goal, and their past 19 competitive matches.

Neither side had produced their fluent best during only the second 0-0 draw of the tournament. At times it was a bad-tempered affair and the apparently inevitable shootout made a nervy start as goalkeepers Rui Patricio and Iker Casillas denied Xabi Alonso and Moutinho respectively in the first round.

Andres Iniesta calmly put Spain in front, only for Pepe to keep Portugal on terms with a clinical low finish. Spain defender Gerard Pique found the bottom left-hand corner of the net, but Nani responded by firing his spot-kick high into the roof of the net to make it 2-2.

But when Spain's Sergio Ramos nonchalantly chipped his penalty beyond Patricio and Alves hit the bar for Portugal, it was left to Fabregas to send Spain into the final and spark memories of 2008 when their footballing history changed forever as a nation remembered how to win.

It had been billed as a clash of Ronaldo, the ultimate individualist, and Vicente Del Bosque's finely tuned orchestra - Ronaldo against Spain, Real Madrid against Barcelona, individual brilliance against the collective mastery of the defending world and European champions.

What nobody had accounted for, however, was Spain playing out of tune for long periods - Portugal were the conductors as inspiration gave way to perspiration in Donetsk.

Ronaldo was a constant danger. But at no stage did Spain man-mark him, subject him to rough-house treatment or even cut off the supply from the excellent Moutinho.

Spain's plan simply was to use the ball to mark Ronaldo, controlling the match through possession in an attempt to render him impotent.

Portugal had other ideas. Their physicality and unswerving desire in midfield prevented Spain settling into their familiar rhythm. At every turn, Xavi and Iniesta found a willing opponent, pressing Spain high up the field and forcing mistake after frustrating mistake.

There were warning signs that Spain might find their rhythm when Iniesta linked up with Jordi Alba down the left flank after eight minutes. The Barcelona midfielder collected Alba's pass, drifted beyond two defenders and cut the ball back only for Alvaro Arbeloa to thump a first-time shot over the bar from the edge of the area.

Opportunities such as that soon became the exception rather than the rule, however. Tempers flared at times, passes were misplaced and Portugal grew in confidence.

Ronaldo's confidence was never in question. After 12 minutes, he reduced Gerard Pique to vain pursuit, surging beyond the Barcelona defender with that remarkable power steering only for his delicate cross to be picked off Nani's head by goalkeeper Casillas.

A left-foot snap-shot found the side netting and, with half-time approaching, he spun away from Sergio Ramos, winning a free-kick and responding with that chest-out, hands-on-hips pose he has trademarked. Ronaldo was in the mood.

Spain were out of their comfort zone but their individual brilliance made them a danger on the rare occasions they did attack. Iniesta and Xavi combined well midway through the first half only for the former to curl his shot agonisingly over the crossbar.

After an hour Del Bosque had seen enough, abandoning his original plan to use a traditional centre forward in Alvaro Negredo by introducing Fabregas. The ineffective David Silva also made way for Jesus Navas as Spain sought width.

Briefly, Xavi began receiving the ball in advanced positions more regularly, showing the poise and the grace to dribble into dangerous areas.

At the other end, Ronaldo thumped a dipping free-kick over the bar after 73 minutes but Portugal's raids were growing more infrequent as they were forced to rely on set-pieces. Ten minutes later, Ronaldo repeated the trick and, as the game ticked into injury time, the Real Madrid man had a chance to win it.

Portugal broke like a sprint-relay team as a Spain free-kick was cleared. The tireless Miguel Veloso found Raul Meireles, but the Chelsea man's pass forced Ronaldo to check his run down the left flank, and his shot was dragged wide.

Fatigue was beginning to show in Portugal's play and it was Spain who revived in extra-time to come as close as at any point to breaking the deadlock.

Navas might have done better with a shot, from which Alba collected and picked out Iniesta's surging run only for the midfielder to see his close-range shot pushed round the post.

Ramos thundered a free-kick inches over the bar from 30 yards moments later, before Patricio was forced into action again, turning Navas's fierce low shot away.

It was all Spain now, and Fabregas put Pedro through on goal with a delightful touch on the half-way line but Portugal flooded back before the Barcelona forward could pull the trigger.

It was a moment that encapsulated the contest - Spain pushed for a winner, desperate to avoid penalties but Fabregas ensured they need not have worried.(BBC)

Is Serena Williams’ purple headband against Wimbledon rules?

Serena Williams' first-round match at Wimbledon was far less eventful than the one she played at the French Open. The four-time tournament champion didn't show any ill effects from her upset loss at Roland Garros and defeated Barbara Zahlavova Strycova 6-2, 6-4.

The most interesting part of her opener, as usual, was the clothing. When you hear "warmup jacket" you think of zipped-up nylon or hoodies. Serena's white, double-breasted Nike number is a bit of a genre bender. I can't tell whether the jacket looks like it belongs to a waiter at a party thrown by a James Bond villain or someone portraying a nurse in a Cinemax movie.

In recent years, Serena has opted for cardigans and shawls but wore the same style coat in 2008 and 2009.

The headband is even more interesting. Wimbledon has let players subtly flout the "almost entirely white" rule for years. Colored stripes, details on sleeves and bandanas are prevalent despite the seven rules forbidding such pigmentation. We detailed the trend during last year's tournament. But that purple headband is pretty blatant. Even the official Wimbledon site wondered whether it was crossing a line.

Maybe it's a nod to royalty. Either way, I wonder if that white swoosh on it has anything to do with officials at the All England Club looking the other way.(Yahoo News)

Eastbourne: Robson & Watson win as Wozniacki, Kvitova, Radwanska exit

Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova's preparations for her title defence were hit by a surprise defeat as the top three women's seeds lost at Eastbourne.

Kvitova lost 7-5 6-4 to Russia's Ekaterina Makarova in the first round.

Top seed Agnieszka Radwanska was beaten 6-2 6-4 by Tsvetana Pironkova.

Caroline Wozniacki, the third seed, was also knocked out by Christina McHale 6-1 6-7 (7-9) 6-4 but there were victories for British pair Laura Robson and Heather Watson.

Teenager Robson saw off Spain's Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 3-6 6-2 6-2, while Watson went through with a 6-3 6-4 win over Greta Arn of Hungary.

Kvitova's conqueror Makarova is the next opponent for 18-year-old Robson, who produced one of the best wins of her career in beating world no 49 Sanchez.

Robson said: "I was really happy with how I played in the second and third set.

"You know, I didn't necessarily play badly in the first set. It's just that I wasn't patient enough in the rally, and I let her [Sanchez] dictate points."

Victory for Watson set up a second-round match with the Czech number seven seed Lucie Safarova, who beat Hungary's Timea Babos 3-6 6-3 7-6 (8-6).

Asked if it was a good day for the British contenders, Watson said: "Yeah, brilliant day. I didn't see any of Laura's match, but she did really well to come through. That's a tough first-round win.

"I'm also very pleased with myself to get through there."

After her defeat, Kvitova admitted she needed to improve ahead of the start of Wimbledon on 25 June.

"It's not good preparation but I have more days for getting ready for Wimbledon," she said. "I have to work hard now to improve my game."

World number seven Wozniacki was watched by her boyfriend Rory McIlroy as she lost to American McHale despite saving three match points.

Wozniacki said: "I would have liked to have won that match, but at least I got some points in. I'm just trying to work on a few things before Wimbledon."

Meanwhile, 2011 champion Marion Bartoli enjoyed a smooth passage into the second round, the French player easing past Sorana Cirstea 6-2 6-2.

The top seed also fell in the men's event, with Frenchman Richard Gasquet losing 1-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-3) to Australia's world number 82 Marinko Matosevic in the second round.

In the first round, Andy Roddick claimed his first win in seven matches as fellow American Sam Querrey retired with an injury when trailing 5-2.

Britain's Jamie Murray teamed up again with American Eric Butorac, his early-career partner, in the men's doubles, but they were beaten 7-6 (12-10) 6-2 by the Italian pair Daniele Bracciali and Andreas Seppi.

But Dominic Inglot and Jonathan Marray did better for Britain, beating Spanish second seeds Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez 6-3 6-3.

Fellow Britons Colin Fleming and Ross Hutchins, the number three seeds, beat Australia's Paul Hanley and Austria's Julian Knowle 6-3 6-4. (BBC News)

Diver Tonia Couch given leave to appeal her non-selection

Tonia Couch has been granted leave to appeal against her non-selection for Team GB in the individual 10-metre platform event at this summer's Games.

Couch, 23, was picked alongside Sarah Barrow in the platform synchro but left out of the individual event in favour of Monique Gladding.

That prompted Couch's coach Andy Banks to launch an appeal.

British Swimming has now confirmed her case will be heard by an independent panel.

The governing body said in a statement: "British Swimming can confirm an appeal by Tonia Couch for non-selection in the 10m individual platform event at the London 2012 Olympic Games has been granted leave to appeal.

"A hearing by an independent panel will be held in due course," it added.

Banks thinks the original decision to omit Plymouth-based Couch in favour of Gladding was unfair.

Gladding, 30, would go to her first Olympics if selected.

Team GB says it wants Couch, who won gold at the European Championships, to concentrate solely on the synchro.

Stacie Powell, who won the recent British trials, and Gladding, whose appearance in the semi-finals at the test event for the London Games in February earned an extra place for Britain at the Olympics, are set to dive in the individual event.

Banks last week told BBC Radio Devon: "If I'm honest I don't expect it to make a difference because the appeal procedure will look at the selection policy and the selection policy does ultimately say that the performance director can do whatever he wants within that selection process.

"I feel, quite strongly, that she [Couch] has demonstrated over the course of this year that she is still the UK's premier platform diver - she has been since 2008 when she made the Olympic final.

"She's been a world finalist ever since and I think it's a little unfair for her not to be able to demonstrate her ability as the UK's premier diver at the London Olympic Games."

The individual and synchro diving events are a week apart in the diving schedule for the Games.

Banks also thinks Couch's omission was handled poorly by those responsible for selecting the team.

"I know she's absolutely gutted, but upset also that she has not been spoken to, so the communication around this has been very poor from the management down," he said.

"There is an opinion in management that concentrating on the synchronised event would possibly be better for the outcome of a medal.

"I've watched Tonia dive both synchro and individual competitions internationally and domestically.

"At the trials she got a personal best score and a British record in the synchro event and went on to get a personal best score in the individual event, so I disagree with the reasoning behind her non-selection."

Euro Footbal 2012: Hottiest Female Fans

PETKOVICE TO MISS WIMBLEDON

Andrea Petkovic was forced out of Wimbledon on wednesday after failing to recover from a serious right ankle injury.

"Unfortunately, I will not be able to return in time for Wimbledon this year. While this is another setback in my return, I will continue to work hard on getting back on court as soon as possible," said Petkovic.

Petkovic finished 2011 at No. 10 in the world, her biggest achievement being reaching her first three Grand Slam quarter-finals at the Australian, French and US opens.

Maria Sharapova Hottiest Images

Heather Watson beats Elena Baltacha

Heather Watson upset compatriot Elena Baltacha at the Aegon Classic, overcoming the domestic number two 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 in their all-British clash.

The 20-year-old British number three continually piled pressure on Baltacha's serve, breaking her higher-ranked opponent five times.

Earlier in the day Baltacha had scraped past Taiwanese Kai-Chen Chang 4-6 6-4 7-5, after resuming 4-6 3-2 down.

Anne Keothavong, Laura Robson and Mel South were all beaten in Birmingham.

It was the first time Baltacha had lost to a British opponent in four years.

The 15th seed led 4-1 in the first set when the players were forced off by rain but when they returned Watson was a different player, battling back to take the first set on a tie-break.

The youngster, who came through qualifying to reach the second round of this year's French Open, then broke Baltacha three times in the second set.

"I had a rough start to the year," said Watson, who lost her first four WTA Tour matches of the season. "And it's made me appreciate going onto the court and having the opportunity and taking it when I have it.

"I'm using it to learn and get stronger."

Watson will face Italy's Roberta Vinci on Centre Court on Thursday before joining forces with Robson in the doubles to take on Timea Babos and Su-wei Hsieh.

Keothavong , who took over from Baltacha as British number one last week, was unable to sustain the form that saw her beat 12th seed Tamira Paszek in the first round. , as she went down 6-3 6-4 to Zheng Jie.

The 28-year-old broke her opponent twice in their 81-minute match but was broken three times in the second set by the 2008 Wimbledon semi-finalist.

Guernsey's Watson is the only remaining home player in the draw after defeats for the three other Britons in action.

Laura Robson fought hard but was eventually overwhelmed by ninth seed Marina Erakovic 6-4 3-6 6-4 in a shade under two hours.

Mel South fell to former world number one Jelena Jankovic as a gritty second-set showing ended in 6-1 7-6 (7-3) defeat.

South, ranked sixth domestically, had two set points to take the match to a decider, but was undone in the tie-break.

Jankovic, 22nd in the world, will now play Casey Dellacqua after she beat British number seven Tara Moore 4-6 6-4 6-1.

The top two seeds - Italy's Francesca Schiavone and Germany's Sabine Lisicki - both lost their opening matches.

Schiavone, a clay-court specialist, was edged out 7-5 6-4 by Japan's Misaki Doi, while Sabine Lisicki, who enjoyed a surprise run to the semi-finals last year at Wimbledon, was overcome 6-3 6-4 by Poland's Urszula Radwanska.

How Zara Phillips reached the Olympics - again

Zara Phillips is in line for her Olympic debut at long last, representing Great Britain from a room in the Olympic village - not representing the Royal Family from exclusive lodgings.

"Zara is absolutely a team player," continues Will Connell, performance director for British equestrian sport.

"She doesn't seek the limelight - it's never Zara stirring up the media frenzy, she lets her results do the talking. There's no denying who her mother and grandmother are but she is, first and foremost, an elite equestrian athlete."

Phillips, now 31, has spent a decade proving her talent. A former world champion, she has twice been in contention for the Olympic Games and twice missed out through injury to her horse, Toytown.

This week, she earned nomination to the British Olympic Association as one of five riders in the eventing team for London 2012.

Her third Olympic nomination in succession caps a resurgent 12 months. For a time, it had looked as though carrying the Olympic torch at Cheltenham racecourse was as close to the Games as she might get.

Phillips spent her twenties enjoying remarkable success with Toytown, winning eventing's world title in 2006 and the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award later that year.

But after missing Beijing 2008, Toytown's age began to show. A horse can only go on at the top level for so long and Phillips, tears in her eyes, gave Toytown a public retirement at Gatcombe last year.

"In our sport you're very lucky to find a horse of a lifetime and I found mine relatively early," she told the Daily Telegraph in 2010. "[Toytown] has done everything for me and I owe him the world. Even talking about that horse makes me well up."

With Toytown out of the picture, Phillips had to prove she was no one-horse wonder by finding another challenger and getting them to the top level in time for Olympic selection.

She managed it, in the nick of time, with a horse named High Kingdom - taking him from the most basic of introductory events in Wiltshire five years ago to third place at last week's Bramham horse trials, her last chance to prove the pair had what it takes for the Olympic Games.

"She's been with High Kingdom a long time," says Connell. "She's always been diligent in working hard when it isn't necessarily going right with a horse - she perseveres. She plugged away with him and has done a fantastic job to bring him all the way up through the grades.

"Together, they finished 10th at Burghley last autumn and perhaps that's when he really burst onto the scene. Burghley was probably the result that, to the wider audience, said Zara has a horse that could go to London.

"This is an up-and-coming horse, a horse whose star is in the ascendancy, and [in terms of Olympic selection] that's probably what tipped it over the edge."

After Bramham, Phillips told BBC Sport: "Last year was a big year. He improved massively and came up with the goods [at Burghley]. He's still improving this year and he's a great, fun horse."

Phillips still faces the formality of having the British Olympic Association rubber-stamp her selection to Team GB but, once that happens, she can expect unique challenges as an Olympic team member.

Alongside all the usual pressures athletes place on themselves, the phenomenon of a British Royal competing at a London Olympic Games will inevitably draw intense scrutiny from the media at home and abroad.

"Zara attracts a massive amount of media attention and the challenge will come around that," says Connell.

"The media could impact on Zara's medal-winning chances. It really wouldn't be fair if every time Zara trained, there were a hundred cameramen, and when [German eventing star] Michael Jung's training, there aren't. But that's something Zara's had to cope with throughout her career.

"Part of what makes her successful is her ability to ignore all that. When she won the individual world title, she had to go into an arena with over 50,000 spectators and jump after the Germans had clinched team gold. The pressure and noise were incredible, but she's very cool under pressure. She has a proven championship record."

Asked if her Royal status was a help or hindrance, Phillips once told ITV: "It's a hindrance. People think it was all given to me on a plate and it definitely wasn't.

"But everyone in the sport is good to me. Everyone gets on with it."

Phillips' parents, both Olympic eventers themselves, must know how their daughter feels. The Princess Royal competed at Montreal 1976 and Captain Mark Phillips won team gold at Munich 1972 before returning to win team silver 16 years later in Seoul.

"They very much support me," said Phillips in the same interview. "They've never pushed me but when I started they very much backed me up.

"They're both very knowledgeable, unfortunately. They give me lots of advice - and criticism. But our sport is very different now to when they were competing, which I keep telling them."

There is now an anxious wait to see if Phillips can finally follow in the family footsteps. Will injury strike a third time?

"This is a great challenge we face in equestrian sport," explains Connell. "If a human athlete wakes up one morning and say they're feeling tight in a tendon or whatever, you can tweak the training programme.

"The horse doesn't know the most important competition of its life is coming up, and that introduces a different dynamic. It can't tell you the same things.

"But if they are to win medals in London, the horses have to be very fit and competition-aware. They can't just be put away in a stable now and pulled out at the Games. They will all compete again and that brings the inevitable risk of a slight injury."

As Phillips said ahead of Beijing 2008, before Toytown's second injury nightmare: "To go with all the other sports would be a great dream, but you still have to get there. One step at a time."

Point apiece as England, France draw cagey opener

DONETSK: France came from behind to force a 1-1 draw with England on Monday as a cagey Euro 2012 opener between the Group D rivals ended in a stalemate.

Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott headed England into a 30th-minute lead to leave Roy Hodgson’s men dreaming of the perfect start to their campaign on a sweltering night at the Donbass Arena.

But Lescott’s City team-mate Samir Nasri struck back with a 39th-minute equaliser, lashing a low shot from outside the area to give France a share of the points and extend Les Bleus unbeaten run to 22 games.

A cagey opening period saw both sides begin cautiously, and it was 11 minutes before anyone got a shot on goal with Nasri’s low shot flying just wide of Manchester City team-mate Hart’s post.

Yet England seemed far from cowed by the occasion, and should have taken the lead four minutes later after Ashley Young slipped in James Milner with a lovely through pass that caught France square.

The Manchester City midfielder rounded Hugo Lloris with his first touch but then failed to find the net from a tight angle.

Moments later Yohan Cabaye tested Hart from long range, the City keeper diving to his left to stop his low strike.

Meanwhile Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, a surprise starter on the left side of midfield ahead of Stewart Downing, enjoyed a confident start, dispossessing Adil Rami early on and producing one memorable jinking run.

England’s bright opening yielded its reward on 30 minutes with the breakthrough coming from a set-piece.

Captain Steven Gerrard swung in a pinpoint free-kick from the right flank and Lescott took advantage of acres of space afforded him by Alou Diarra to head past Lloris from close range.

Yet the England goal was the cue for a period of dominance from France which lasted until the half-time whistle.

Diarra almost made immediate amends with a header of his own, Hart parrying high after the defensive midfielder met Nasri’s pinpoint freekick.

In the ensuing scramble Franck Ribery headed back across goal but Diarra’s second effort went wide.

A French equaliser seemed on though and it arrived through Nasri six minutes from half-time, the forward taking advantage of an English side standing too deep to squeeze a ferocious shot just inside Hart’s post.

England seemed content to slow the pace of the game in the second half, and passed confident without ever threatening France.

Gradually however France’s superior technique began to tell, and England spent long periods of the closing minutes on the back foot.

Real Madrid Karim Benzema, well shackled by Scott Parker for much of the match, forced a fine low save from Hart on 65 minutes.

Benzema, who had drawn a booking for Ashley Young on 71 minutes then went close again, curling a shot goalwards which Gerrard headed behind for a corner.

But though England seemed to be tiring rapidly in the final stages, France were unable to find the winner as the match wound down, with Benzema’s late strike parried by Joe Hart.

England will face Sweden in Kiev on Friday in their second game while France face Sweden in Donetsk.

Nadal wins record seventh French Open

PARIS: Rafael Nadal clinched a record seventh French Open title on Monday, defeating world number one Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 and shattering the Serb’s dream of Grand Slam history.

In a fractious final pushed into a third week for only the second time because of Sunday’s rain, the Spanish world number two, playing in his 16th Grand Slam final, also took his Paris record to a staggering 52 wins against just one loss.

Victory, which was achieved on a Djokovic double fault, allowed him to break the tie for six French Opens he shared with Bjorn Borg.

It was the 26-year-old’s 11th Grand Slam title, taking him one behind Roy Emerson, three off Pete Sampras and five away from the record of 16 held by Roger Federer.

For five-time major winner Djokovic, the Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open champion, it was the end of his dream of emulating Don Budge (1938) and Rod Laver (1962 and 1969) by holding all the Grand Slams at once.

He was left to regret his unforced error count of 53 which undermined his challenge.

After Sunday’s suspension, the players, meeting in a fourth successive Grand Slam final, resumed with Nadal leading 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 1-2, but with Djokovic in the ascendancy and serving for a 3-1 lead in the fourth set.

But a forehand error from Djokovic, with the court at his mercy, gave Nadal a break point and the Spaniard seized it when the Serb had been left flat-footed by a net cord which allowed his opponent to push through a winner.

The set remained tight as would be expected with the pair meeting for a 33rd time.

Nadal moved to 5-4 as the umbrellas went up all around Philippe Chatrier Court and the players sat courtside to wait out a passing, heavy shower and complained to tournament referee Stefan Fransen about the slippery conditions.

Djokovic finally buckled when a monster forehand from Nadal set up championship point which he converted when the top seed tamely served up a fourth double fault.

The celebrations were ecstatic as Nadal fell to his knees and consoled Djokovic before the champion climbed into the player’s box to embrace his family.

On Sunday, Djokovic had looked down and out at one stage, even picking up a warning for destroying his courtside chair box with his racquet.

After slipping two sets down, he was also a break behind at 0-2 in the third before he reeled off eight games in succession to take the third set — the first lost by Nadal in this year’s event — and lead 2-0 in the fourth.

The first game of the fourth set had featured a gruelling 44-shot rally.

But Nadal had raged at tournament referee Stefan Fransen for having to keep playing as the court became increasingly treacherous.

As he stormed, Djokovic, who had been two sets to love down to Andreas Seppi in the fourth round, and saved four match points in his quarter-final victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, seized his chance to get back into the match.

The last time a French Open men’s final failed to be completed on the last Sunday was 1973 when it was played on the Tuesday with Ilie Nastase beating Niki Pilic.

Monday finishes have become common at the US Open in New York with the last four finals taking place on the extra day while the 2001 Wimbledon final was also completed on a Monday.

Roland Garros will eventually avoid late finishes as a main court with a retractable roof is to be built in 2017.

French Open win beats Wimbledon: Sharapova

PARIS: Maria Sharapova said her French Open triumph was a greater achievement than her teenage 2004 Wimbledon breakthrough which launched her on the road to international fame and fortune.

The Russian, one of the few genuine stars in the women’s game, completed a career Grand Slam by beating Italy’s Sara Errani 6-3, 6-2 on Saturday.

It was the 25-year-old’s first Roland Garros title and fourth major of her career, but first since she recovered from a potentially career-ending shoulder injury.

“It’s the most unique, surreal moment. I never thought I would have it. When I won Wimbledon at 17, I thought that would be the most cherished moment of my career,” she said.

“But when I fell to me knees today on the court I realised that winning here was extremely special, even more so.”

Sharapova added the 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open titles to her 2004 win at Wimbledon before the shoulder injury sidelined her for 10 months, sending her ranking spiralling to 126 in the world.

She has endured numerous false starts since that time and losses in the 2011 Wimbledon final to Petra Kvitova and this year’s Australian Open title match at the hands of Victoria Azarenka led many to ponder whether she had been overtaken by a new generation of big-hitters.

But titles on clay in Stuttgart and Rome in the run-up to Paris transformed her into one of the favourites for the Paris title which she achieved with a 6-3, 6-2 win over the out-gunned Errani in just 90 minutes.

With the Williams sisters on the wane, Kim Clijsters about to retire and the likes of Azarenka and Caroline Wozniacki struggling for consistent levels of success, Sharapova believes there are many more majors coming her way.

“It’s been a long journey, I started from such a young age, but I’m not done yet, far from it,” she said.

“I have a lot more to achieve, I always believed in my game and that I could get better on grass, clay, cement.”

Sharapova said she was increasingly motivated by the people who wrote her off, never doubting her own powers or the influence of those around her.

“No matter how tough it was or if people didn’t believe in me, I never listened. I only listened to my own voice which told me that I would succeed again and I did.

“No matter how many punches I took, I didn’t care. I always got back up again. There were no excuses. I love this work of playing tennis. I could have said I have had enough when I was injured.

“I could have said I have enough money and fame, but when your love for the sport is bigger than those things, then you still get up to practice when it’s freezing or when others have no belief.”

Maria Sharapova eyes career Slam in French Open final

Maria Sharapova will bid to become only the 10th woman to complete the career Grand Slam when she meets Sara Errani in Saturday's French Open final. " Sharapova has returned to the top of the world rankings with her run to the final, her first at Roland Garros. "It will be special," said the 25-year-old Russian, a former Australian Open, US Open and Wimbledon champion. "To be in this situation is going to be quite new, but it's something I've dreamed of for a long time." Sharapova won Wimbledon as a 17-year-old, and added the US and Australian titles by the time she was 20. However, with a shoulder injury having put her career in jeopardy, Sharapova last topped the world rankings in 2008, and ended a three-year run without a Grand Slam final appearance at last year's Wimbledon. She was beaten by Petra Kvitova, and suffered a similar fate against Victoria Azarenka at this year's Australian Open, but will start as favourite against Errani. The Italian had won only one match at the French Open before this year, but arrived at Roland Garros having reached the last eight at the Australian Open and won three Tour titles, all on clay. Sharapova said: "She's won so many titles already on clay, and these last couple of weeks she's really been improving, beating great players, and is really confident - and that's obviously a dangerous opponent." Errani left Italy at the age of 12 to join Nick Bollettieri's famous academy in Florida, staying there for 10 months before returning to Europe and training in Spain. Sharapova is also a former Bollettieri pupil, having arrived there in 1994 aged seven. However, she and Errani have never played each other. Prior to her run at Roland Garros, the 21st-seeded Italian had lost all 28 of her matches against players in the world's top 10, but changed all that with wins over Angelique Kerber and Sam Stosur. "I've never thought, 'I can't beat someone in the top 10.' I play and give my best, and if I don't win, I don't win," Errani explained. "I don't think about whether I can win the title. I just think about the next match. If I win, then I think about the next one." She attributes her good form this season to using a racquet with a longer handle to generate extra power. "It was love at first sight," said the 25-year-old. "From my first practices with it, I really felt completely different. I could control the ball better. I could hit it faster. It boosted my confidence.