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Rafael Nadal won his seventh French Open after defeating Novak Djokovic. Is he the best active men's player?

• lamsterca: "Nadal was so close in beating Djokovic earlier this year in AO final. So, why wouldn't anyone be shocking that Nadal beat Djokovic on his best surface? I'm actually surprised that Nadal lost a set in the final. I thought he would've won without even losing a set. Up until his final on Sunday, Nadal didn't even face a set point."
• tericed1982: "Nadal is playing in a weak clay court era that is why he won so many trophies. Without Racket Technology, he will be nothing more than an average player"
• majella77: "But Rafa's comments are illuminating as they are gracious. He called Djoker the best player in the world, and there's little argument to be made. Was hoping for a Djokovic win to keep alive the possible 'Golden Slam'."
• SofaKing339843934: "Don't kid yourselves Roger fans, Federer is not winning another major unless both Nadal and Novak are injured at the same time"
• sfgenesis: "Federer still can beat those guys in best of 3 indoors... he crushes them. But all the outdoor courts are slow... he doesn't stand a chance in a best of 5 when u must beat one of friday then the other on sunday."
• read-this: "Nadal is really pretty unbelievable. In a few years I think we'll have said we've possibly seen the best two players in tennis history come before our eyes in the past decade or so....federer and nadal."

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The French Open men's final will feature tennis' two top players as Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal meet for the fourth consecutive time in a Grand Slam final. Nadal will be hoping to win this one on his best surface after dropping the past three meetings.

Both men will be chasing history Sunday. Djokovic could become the first man in over 40 years to hold all four Grand Slam titles, while Nadal will attempt to win a record seventh French Open title. Which titan of tennis will take home the title?

Who will win the men's French Open title?

•  
  20%
  Rafael Nadal in five sets
•  
  12%
  Novak Djokovic in three or four sets
•  
  24%
  Novak Djokovic in five sets
•  
  44%
  Rafael Nadal in three or four sets

(Total votes: 3,489)

Who do you want to win the men's French Open title?

•  
  39%
  Novak Djokovic
•  
  61%
  Rafael Nadal

(Total votes: 3,223)

If he wins the French Open final, will Novak Djokovic be able to complete the calendar year Grand Slam?

•  
  58%
  Yes
•  
  42%
  No

(Total votes: 2,839)

What's the greatest rivalry in the top matchups at men's tennis finals?

•  
  9%
  Ivan Lendl vs. John McEnroe (20 meetings)
•  
  59%
  Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal (19 meetings)
•  
  15%
  Andre Agassi v Pete Sampras (16 meetings)
•  
  1%
  Boris Becker vs. Stefan Edberg (16 meetings)
•  
  16%
  Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal (15 meetings)

(Total votes: 1,782)

If Rafael Nadal defeats Novak Djokovic at the French Open, how will Nadal's season finish?

•  
  48%
  With another major title and the No. 1 ranking
•  
  25%
  With appearances at the finals of Wimbledon and US Open
•  
  27%
  With a strong run on hard courts until he encounters Djokovic

(Total votes: 2,803)

The French Open Men's Final will feature tennis' two top players as Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal meet for the fourth consecutive time in a Grand Slam final. Both men will be chasing a bit of history when they meet on Sunday, with Djokovic looking to become the first man in over 40 years to hold all four Grand Slam titles, while Nadal will attempt to win a record seventh French Open title. Which titan of tennis will take home the title?

Novak Djokovic is clearly the best tennis player in the world this season, but is he better than John McEnroe, Rod Laver or a younger version of Roger Federer? Djokovic's U.S. Open win was his third Grand Slam title this season and improved his 2011 record to 64-2 in all matches. McEnroe was 82-3 with two Slams in 1984. Federer was 81-4 with two Slams in 2005. And Laver won all four Slam titles in 1962 and 1969.

• "I always said Rafa would be done before he hits 29 or 30. And if Novak keeps beating him and if he gets hurt again, then we may see it soon." -- SN commenter pac7196033
• "After John McEnroe's amazing 1984 season, where he only lost 3 matches, he was never the same player. He won just about everything that year, just like Novak did this year. He was around the same age as Novak is now. Very interesting to see how Novak responds next season. I would expect him to do well. We'll see." -- SN commenter Steven66305

Last year marked the first time since 2003 that Roger Federer wasn't a part of the final match at the U.S. Open. Was that the beginning of a trend, or a one-year break from normalcy? With Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal both nursing ailments, could the last chance be the best chance for Federer to continue his streak of years with at least one Grand Slam win? SN: Rank men's contenders

It's a bad year to be a Russian woman or a man named Andy at the U.S. Open. Unfortunately, since Andy Murray's surprising fourth-round loss eliminated the last of either category, that maxim doesn't offer much insight on what's to come in the Big Apple. Luckily, SportsNation bloggers like bball4life578 are here to assist with predictions.

"The Cinderella story continued for the US teenage sensation in Oudin as she took out Nadia Petrova after in 3 sets after a horrible first set. Wozniacki did the same against Svetlana Kuznetsova the other night, so something's got to give. Watching Wozniacki, her second serve is very weak and she'll have to go against a crowd which will be 100 percent behind Oudin as well as a feisty opponent in Oudin. Count me in as a believer in Oudin. I think her Cinderella story continues into the finals." -- Read the full post.

Oudin's match is Wedneday's headliner, but it's not the only Open story. Rafael Nadal lost the first set of his fourth-round match but survived (with a fist pump that has Colin Cowherd and Michelle Beadle wondering if you think he's surpassed Tiger Woods on at least that count -- watch it here). And after fans in the stands backed Kim Clijsters against Venus Williams, will the comeback mom be the crowd favorite against Serena Williams?

• Phenomenon check? Only one in five voters plans to watch Oudin's quarterfinal.
• 48 percent of SN says neither Murray nor Dinara Safina will ever win a Grand Slam title.
• Chat: Live from the U.S. Open with Bonnie Ford and Greg Garber, 4 ET.
• Vote: Are you rooting for Serena Williams or Kim Clijsters in their semifinal?

“

Kim Clijsters is BACK and she WILL BE THE 2009 OPEN CHAMP (hopefully against Oudin)..I would love to see Melanie win it all though, but I am not keeping my hopes up on her yet.. But Kim will beat Serena and take it all.

” -- 49erlakeshow

“

Oudin has the potential to make it to the final, but the winner will be either Serena or Kim.

” -- fx772k1

Mixing athletes and television analysts isn't always a great idea. Just ask Tim McCarver and Deion Sanders. But occasionally breaking down the wall between words and actions can be downright entertaining.

Monday night, after dispatching Radek Stepanek with ease at the U.S. Open, Novak Djokovic challenged John McEnroe, calling the match from the booth, to come down and take some non-verbal shots on the court. Never one to shrink from a challenge, McEnroe jogged out and as the video above shows, held his own in the light-hearted rally.

Light-hearted might not be quite the phrase anyone would use to describe Skip Bayless, but he took his place opposite an athlete Tuesday morning, when Chad Ochocinco appeared on First Take. From Ochocinco disagreeing with Bayless that he's a better receiver than Terrell Owens to defending his kicking skills, it was, well, interesting.

• Before the showdown, 64 percent of SN thought Ochocinco would best Bayless.
• And by the time it ended, 66 percent felt Ochocinco came out with the win.
• Beyond the Nation: Check out Djokovic's best impersonations.