Final thoughts to put 2012 French Open to bed, plus mail

Lots of residual questions from the 2012 French Open. We'll take a few in speed-round mode, but some themes keep creeping up repeatedly so here are broader thoughts:

• Bless this era of men's tennis. No what matter happens, it's relevant, it's meaningful, it fits into the broader Big Three narrative. All credit to Rafael Nadal for winning the French Open. Who among us can even imagine a scenario in which he doesn't go down as the best clay-court player ever? That third set of the final was proof that Novak Djokovic gets to him in a way no other player does. But Nadal showed his mental strength, too, returning Monday to close the deal. Not easy given the bad vibes when he left Sunday. The question now: can he build on this momentum on grass? Stay tuned.

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/news/20120613/french-open-wrapup-mailbag/#ixzz1xlzkD7bU