Rafael Nadal described his crushing French Open final win over Roger Federer as "perfect" but admitted that the Swiss star did not play well.
Nadal, 22, joined Bjorn Borg as the only men to win four consecutive Roland Garros titles with a 6-1 6-3 6-0 victory in Sunday's final.
"I did not expect a match like this," said the Spaniard. "I think I played an almost perfect match.
"Roger played more mistakes than usual and I played more inside the court."
Nadal completely dominated the fortnight in Paris and became only the seventh man in the open era to win a Grand Slam title without losing a set.
And he admitted what had been plain for most observers to see - that he is improving on clay.
"I play more inside the court, not just two metres behind the baseline," said Nadal.
"I improved my slice, I change more directions. I hit more flat shots, especially with the backhand.
"I improved a little bit since last year. I have more control of the points, I am more aggressive than usual."
606: DEBATE
Nadal will now head to Wimbledon optimistic that he can go one step further than in the last two years, when he has lost to Federer in the final.
But the Mallorcan insists that he has some way to go before he can overhaul the Swiss as the number one player in the game.
"I feel like the number two because I am the number two and I am closer to the number three than the number one," he said.
And the respect he has for Federer came through at the end of the match when he played down his normally joyous celebrations.
"Even if I'm playing my best tennis, I don't win 6-1 6-3 6-0," he said.
"He did not play very well, otherwise this result would not have been possible. I did not prepare (for any celebrations).
"Today it was tough for Roger, I had to show respect. I have a good relationship with him."
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