PARIS - Rafael Nadal's phone rang last week. On the other end was Guillermo Vilas, owner of four Grand Slam titles and the man whose 1977 record for consecutive victories on clay Nadal was approaching.

“I'm angry. You're showing a lack of respect for your elders,” Vilas told the Spanish teen, tongue squarely in cheek. “If I see you, I don't know what I'm going to do to you.”

Caught off-guard and uncertain whether Vilas was pulling his leg, Nadal stammered for a moment before catching on. Turns out, they saw each other Monday on center court at the French Open, and Vilas greeted him with a hug.

Nadal broke Vilas' mark with his 54th straight win on clay, beating Robin Soderling of Sweden 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 at Roland Garros begin defense of his first Grand Slam title.

“It's a lot of tournaments, a lot of matches,” Nadal said. “Getting the record here adds something extra.”

On-court trophy ceremonies usually are reserved for the closing weekend of a major tennis tournament. Yet after finishing off Soderling, Nadal was presented with a rectangular glass box containing the multiple layers of a clay court, and highlights from his French Open championship were shown on the video screens overhead.

A tad over the top? Perhaps. But everyone seemed to agree this is an impressive achievement.

“It may be similar to a Joe DiMaggio streak, where it doesn't seem like it's ever going to get broken,” said the No. 8-seeded James Blake, who could face