As of the beginning of the fourth set on Sunday, I was convinced that Novak Djokovic was on his way to beating Rafael Nadal and completing the Nole Slam with his first French Open men's singles title.

Nadal was reeling, his confidence was waning and the wet clay was giving Djokovic something of an edge. Then came the heavy rain at the beginning of the fourth set, forcing the match to be delayed over-night and resumed Monday.

It's incredible the effect a little rain can have on the outcome of a major sporting event and, to be honest, the history of the entire sport.

Reeling on Sunday, Rafael Nadal regrouped during the over-night rain delay and came back strong on Monday. Before Djoko could get used to the dry clay again, he's lost his advantage in the fourth set and had to battle a rejuvenated, re-focused Nadal the rest of the way.

I'd like to be able to write that, if it weren't for the rain, Djokovic would have beaten Nadal. I'd like to be able to write that, without the rain, Djoko would have been able to complete his Grand Slam and Bjorn Borg's record would have been safe, at least for another year.

But I can't. Certainly, the rain delay helped Nadal regain his composure and his confidence. The dry clay on Monday also helped him come back to beat Djokovic.

But we can't lose sight of the fact that it was the rain itself that contributed to Nole's turnaround in the third set on Sunday and allowed Djokovic to fight his way back into contention, undermining Nadal's game and his confidence along the way.

No rain, no comeback.

What Djokovic needed was enough rain to contribute to his turnaround but not so much as to cause the delay.

Or, to be honest, he needed to play better in the first two sets and not build himself such a hole to begin with. Djokovic beat himself by giving Nadal too much respect, by psyching himself out of the first two sets through a lack of confidence in his ability to compete.