London: As one of the world's most committed creatures of habit, there should be little conjecture on why the contented smile has returned to Rafael Nadal's face to replace that sad and contorted grimace of pain.
The scene is Paris in the springtime, the sun is shining, the clay of Roland Garros brushed, watered and natured to its usual terracotta magnificence. With the tennis calendar poised to enter its most intense and defining six weeks of the year, the overwhelming favourite to add a fifth French Open title to his list of accomplishments and return to his official position as the "King of Clay" could not be more delighted that a sense of familiarity and order has returned to is life.
Change is the talk of the 16th arrondissement this year. Disagreements between the French Tennis Federation and the Paris council have intensified tournament director Gilbert Ysern's insistence that overcrowding and a need for a new main court with retractable roof could see the tournament move to a new site at Versailles or close to Disneyland, Paris.
Such debates do not enter Nadal's area of concern and breaks from tradition remain an anathema.
"Always the goal is the same, always we do things the same," said the Spaniard, who refused to book a more luxurious Parisian hotel other than the one at which Team Nadal has always stayed since he first contested and won the tournament in 2005.
"It is not superstition, it is a habit and this is where we will stay," insisted Nadal, who will soon be going through all his on-court idiosyncrasies.
Anxious wait
He will be aligning his two bottles of water, one chilled and one at air temperature, with the labels pointing to where he will be standing on the court. Before matches he will be keeping both opponent and umpire waiting, he will repeatedly fiddle with the fitting of his garment, at the end he will joyously pull off his bandana and shake the sweat from his head. It's a fair bet he will be celebrating victory.
Leading up to Paris, Nadal won a hat-trick of titles from the three Masters 1,000 series clay court events in Monte Carlo, Rome and Madrid at the cost of only two sets. His 24th birthday falls midway through the second week of the tournament and the perfect gift would be to regain possession of the Coupe de Mousquetaires.
Difficult moments
Memories of 12 months ago are not something to which Nadal devotes much time. Not only was he troubled by the pain in both knees that eventually rendered him unable to defend the Aegon Championships and Wimbledon titles on grass, he was also distracted and dismayed by the separation of his parents.
"It was some very difficult moments, ones I don't like to remember too much," he admits.
"Losing the title of Roland Garros and not being able to play Wimbledon made me sad but that is over now. But being back here in Paris is a pleasure, it is one of the most beautiful cities I know. And I always have the same motivation. I didn't win last year, but the goal is still the same every year. Nothing changes when you come to this tournament."
However, that is not strictly true and Nadal has adapted his playing style. He has been more careful with his schedule, recognising the need for rest and arriving at Roland Garros feeling the benefits of a week on/week off timetable throughout the clay- court season.
