Rafael Nadal has won 21 matches out of 21 in three years at the French Open yet even that perfect record will not stop him feeling butterflies in his stomach when he starts his bid for a fourth title next week.
"Of course, I'll feel nervous," Nadal told Reuters in an interview at the Hamburg Masters.
"I feel nerves with every game but especially in a match at Roland Garros. It's a very special and important tournament in a spectacular city."
To call Nadal the favourite for a fourth straight men's title would be an understatement.
Born in Manacor, Mallorca, a nephew of former Barcelona defender Miguel Angel Nadal, he made his big breakthrough when as a freakishly powerful 16-year-old in 2003 he beat Albert Costa, then the French Open champion, in Monte Carlo.
Injuries kept him away from Roland Garros for two years but by 2005 he was already untouchable on clay and he has scarcely been troubled on his way to those three French Open titles.
Last season, his 81-match winning streak on clay finally came to an end with a defeat by Roger Federer in Hamburg but Nadal gained revenge with an epic 7-5 6-7 6-3 win over the Swiss in this year's final.
If there is any hope for his rivals it is that this year he has faced more distractions that ever before.
The 21-year-old has led criticism of the decision to squeeze a week out of the clay-court season and he has been caught up in a row with Spain's Tennis Federation over the Davis Cup.
Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic is challenging him ever more seriously for the number two spot but Nadal rejects any suggestion that he won't have the same focus as usual on Paris.
"How am I not going to have strength and desire to play Roland Garros?" he said between mouthfuls of French bread and chocolate spread. "It's the climax of the season on clay.
"Yes, it's been made more difficult by those who make the calendar, but fine, even though I couldn't be at a 100 per cent in Rome I'm here and I'm playing well and I aim to get to Roland Garros in as good shape as possible."
Nadal can look so dominant against weaker players on the red stuff that it's easy to lose sight of the fact that his great strength - the thing that sets him apart from the other top players - is his ability to chase down the most hopeless of lost causes and turn desperate saves into winners.
"He's the best defence player in the history of this sport," Djokovic said after losing to Nadal in the Hamburg semis. "He knows how to use his opportunities very wisely. He's waiting."
Federer was equally complimentary, saying: "He has all the respect of all the players. What he's achieved is maybe unique."
Roddick injured
World number six Andy Roddick has pulled out of next week's French Open because of a problem with his back and shoulder, his brother John Roddick said yesterday at the World Team Cup in Duesseldorf.
The American former world number one sustained the injury at this month's Rome Masters and had to pull out of his semi-final match against Stanislas Wawrinka trailing 3-0 in the first set.