"I'm out of touch on clay and also short on confidence, " Costa admitted after the match.

BBC: Agassi downs Labadze

Yet it is nothing short of terrifying to recognise that Clay, on his own authority, gave very serious consideration to using an armoured column backed up by support from the air to break the blockade.

ECONOMIST: The cold war

Soderling, the 23rd seed, was a rank outsider against the world number one who had never lost a match on the clay at Roland Garros and was a short-priced favorite to win a record fifth straight title.

CNN: Nadal crashes out of French Open to Soderling

The most obvious short-term goal is the French Open in Paris, also on red clay, where Nadal has won a remarkable seven times, including last year.

WSJ: Rafael Nadal, Back in the Dirt