Demolition man!

It was unimaginable, unrecognisable and even inconceivable. I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about - the demolition of Roger Federer at Roland Garros of course.

The latest on it is that Federer's most ardent fans are planning to report Rafael Nadal to the Human Rights Commision for his inhuman treatment of someone who is widely considered to be one of the best to grace a tennis court.

To me, it was the most brutal show of power, awesome and awful depending on how one views it. Federer was reduced to a nervous wreck and looked more like a new kid on the block who had gate-crashed onto the Philippe Chatrier Court and the scoreline - 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 - would have justified a match involving a low-key qualifier rather than a living legend.

At another level, the French Open final was the nearest one could get to watching a mythical man-versus-machine duel. Nadal was robotic, laser sharp and pinpoint accurate and Federer only human - erratic, fragile and as it turned out easily fallible. No wonder the one-sided affair was over in 108 minutes.

It had shades of the match in which John McEnroe embarrassed Jimmy Connors 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 at the Wimbledon Championship in 1984. It even matched Iron Mike's first round knock-outs of Tony Tubs or Marvis Frazier in the late 1980s - remember they were over even before it began.

What went wrong with Federer? It can't be stage fright for sure. After all, it was his third successive final appearance at the Roland Garros and he was in line for his 13th Grand Slam title. It can't be nerves either, for he has seen it all before. Experience? Certainly not, because Federer has loads of it.

I guess it was the Spanish Godzilla on the other side of the net that was the major problem. Having seen Nadal scythe through the draw with increasing cruelty while the rest of the pack were huffing and puffing through or falling on the red clay in a tangled mess of limbs (Gael Monfils in particular), the figure at the far end must have looked like Hercules with a headband.

That was the real problem. And Nadal did not help matters by being flawless. He wielded enormous power and wedded youthful exuberance with unmatched energy. The ensuing synergy was irresistible and for Federer impossible to manage.

Federer compounded his problems by playing a game of high risks and low rewards, his forays to the net in particular repeatedly left him stranded as Nadal responded with a whiplash passing shot. And the number of unforced erros were just too many to make a match of the final.

Nadal, on the other hand, was supremely confident. Some of the shots he played were so astouding that it left the packed crowd speechless and silenced the most ardent of Federer fans - the murmurs of approval rather than roars of appreciation said it all.

The third set in particularly summed up Federer's misery. It was his first 6-0 Grand Slam beating since 1999 in a match against Pat Rafter of Australia and more pertinently he did not get a look-in. He also looked the most ordinary in this set and frankly I felt almost sorry for one of my favourite heroes.

Even Nadal seemed sorry as his muted celebration following the final point proved. There was no joyous celebration, he did not even roll on the red clay like in the previous three years.

Touchingly, Nadal was modest in celebration, almost apologetic. "Roger, I'm sorry for the final. Today it was tough for Roger. I just didn't want to celebrate too much," said the man who had just won his fourth successive French Open, achieved 28-0 lifetime record at Roland Garros, an 83-7 record in sets, a 21-0 record in sets this year and loss of only 41 games (lowest since Bjorn Borg's 32 in 1978).

Federer may not have matched Nadal on the court, but behind the microphone he caught up with his rival. "Right now I'd say it's easier to lose this way as today. Today I lost, and I lost clearly," said Federer admitting defeat with the air of a chess Grand Master.

I guess that's what makes Federer a legend and Nadal a popular champion. Thankfully, it's not the end of it all with the Wimbledon Championship just a few weeks away.

Bahrain's unbeaten run in the World Cup qualifiers came to a halt last week with a 1-1 draw against Thailand. It may not have dented the kingdom's hopes of qualifying for the fourth round, but it certainly has delivered a psychological blow to Milan Macala's men.

Now the talk is that Bahrain needs just one point from the remaining two matches to take another painstaking step towards realising the dream of playing in the World Cup. So, what's the big deal, said a Bahraini friend.

But remember, four years ago a similar feeling prevailed. That time Bahrain needed a goalless draw at home against Trinidad after having drawn 1-1 in the first-leg in the Caribbean. But Bahrain lost and that pain has not dulled even with the passage of time.

So, my friend, it may be a mere point, but an important point nevertheless.