To think that he prepared for his pursuit of a place in history by practising against his agent and his uncle - but then it turned into that kind of day, when you wondered if reality had been suspended. Rafael Nadal brought the French Open to an extraordinary climax yesterday, destroying the player whom many believe is the best they have seen.

By its shattering close, people did not know where to look as Nadal, the behemoth from Majorca, completed a 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 victory over Roger Federer, the worst performance by a world No1, in terms of games won, in a grand-slam tournament final.

All around Court Philippe Chatrier folk were staring at the ground, shuffling their feet or pretending to talk to the person in the next seat. Even the Spanish were not particularly enjoying themselves. “I want Rafa to win, of course, but not like this,” one of their leading writers said, unable to bear being out in the stands for the third set.

El Cordobés, the celebrated former matador, was here the other day and Federer must have felt like one of those bulls El Cordobés sent to its bloody end. The League Against Cruel Sports ought to be notified that tennis is making a late bid for membership. How else can you describe what unfolded in an hour and 48 minutes, only ten minutes more than the two sets of the women's final the previous day? The first two games of this match took 12 minutes to be completed, Nadal had to survive two break points to lead 2-0 and from then on the event became a blur.

Nadal is a colossus. We can only raise our glasses to a man who has lorded it over this surface from the moment he set foot inside Roland Garros at the age of 18. His record here is played 28, won 28; of the past 46 sets he has contested here, he has won 45 and he joins Bjorn Borg as the only player in the Open era to win four consecutive championships at this bastion. Paul Aymé achieved the feat in the 1920s, but the event was then only for those enrolled in French clubs.

It was a wonder to watch Nadal prepare for this annihilation with Carlos Costa, his agent, guarding one side of the opposite court and Toni, his uncle and coach, stationed in the other. They could hardly get a ball back across the net between them.

Once more, as he marched out, the crowd roared the louder for Federer, their desperation for him to win this cherished title made explicit. At that moment, one recalled the conversation with him on Friday evening and the conviction with which he said that he finally believed he had Nadal's measure. Based on what? Not his displays in the previous rounds, when he had dropped sets to Gaël Monfils, Fernando González and Albert Montañés and been pushed all the way by Julien Benneteau. Was he serious, or was it, more likely, simply wishful thinking?

There did not seem to be much tactical acumen behind his performance yesterday. Federer rushed the net and was passed consistently, the click of the ball on Nadal's strings heralding a destructive riposte. Equally, to stay back against Nadal is to invite being cut to ribbons. Never has Federer struck so many poor forehands. The drop shot was also terrible. Your heart went out to him.

The match was effectively over for the Swiss once he was broken in the eighth game of the second set, on the fourth of the break points that had taken a mental toll. The shot was a backhand driven half-volley pass from just inside the baseline, and all Roland Garros knew what it meant. Oddly, Nadal was given a time violation in the ensuing game - what, the umpire wanted to hasten Federer's downfall?

Not since he was beaten by Pat Rafter, from Australia, in the first round here in 1999, when he was finding his way in the game, had Federer lost a set to love in a grand-slam tournament. He was asked if he still thought he can win this title. “Yes,” was the answer. Are you sure? “Well, if you want me to choose no if that makes you happy, then no. I wish it was a different outcome. I don't want to play Rafa again tomorrow, that's for sure.”

Down in the players' area, Borg was strolling through the wellwishers and stopped to offer some sage advice. “I think Nadal can win Wimbledon,” he said. “If he gets through the first couple of rounds, he's going to be very difficult to beat.”

Feats of clay

0 Sets dropped by Nadal at Roland Garros this year

4 Consecutive French Open titles won by Nadal

41 Games he has conceded in this year's tournament (fewer than six per match)

12hr 38min Time he has spent on court in the tournament this year

155-14 Nadal's win-loss record on clay

12 Still the number of grand-slam titles won by Federer