"I played a perfect match," said Nadal, who was presented with the trophy by Borg.

"I'm sorry for that final but you played well," he told Federer. "I want to thank Roger for his attitude on the court."

Federer's far from alone in his French Open frustration.

The list of Grand Slam champions who never won the Roland Garros title includes Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg.