THERE was a certain symmetry to the scenes that greeted Rafael Nadal's victory in the final of the French Open.

Punching the air in delight, the wide-eyed teenager headed straight to Spanish monarch Juan Carlos before the pair spoke briefly and hugged in an emotional embrace. Who better to crown tennis' new ruler than a real-life King?

By winning his first Grand Slam title at the age of just 19, Nadal has announced his arrival into tennis royalty with a bang.

Ranked outside the world's top 50 at the start of the season, the shaggy-haired Spaniard has exceeded all expectations by rising to the very top of the ATP Race Rankings in the space of six whirlwind months.

Last week's semi-final win over Swiss superstar Roger Federer - on his birthday for good measure - made it 23 successive wins on the ATP tour, while Sunday's final win over Mariano Puerta made it an incredible six tournament wins since the turn of the year.

"I am very happy," said Nadal, in the aftermath of his win. "I can't say my feelings because that's unbelievable for me. It is a dream for me, (winning) here."

Yet, like so many teenage tennis stars before him, it is a dream that has blossomed from a mixture of prodigious talent and sustained hard work.

Born in Manacor, a small Mallorcan town of some 30,000 people, Nadal's sporting prowess was evident from an early age.

By the time he was five, he was playing tennis with his uncle, Toni, who had carved out a career on the fringe of the professional game.

But, throughout his childhood, Nadal's family links pulled him in a different direction. His uncle, Miguel Angel, played professional football for Barcelona and Spain and, despite his obvious ability with a racket, the youthful Rafael dreamed of following in his footsteps.

"If it weren't for his tennis, Rafa would be a soccer star right now," claimed Toni, who is employed as his nephew's full-time coach. "That's how good an athlete he is."

Nadal's intensive playing style - all pumped-up adrenalin and yells of "Vamos" or "Go" - owes much to the frenetic nature of the football world and his refusal to concede defeat on even the most hopeless of points smacks of the belligerence that led Miguel Angel to revel in the nickname of the "Beast of Barcelona".

The family link is clear, although Rafael's love of Real Madrid reveals a rebellious streak. The youngster was barely able to control his emotions when he struck his final shot at Roland Garros - he was left totally dumbstruck when Zinedine Zidane walked on court to present him with the trophy.

Footballing rivalries aside, though, it is clear that Nadal's tight family unit and early immersion in sporting spheres has helped him to retain a sense of perspective that has been sadly lacking in other teenage prodigies.

He arrived at Roland Garros on the back seat of a mini-van, likes nothing better than to go out dancing in his hometown with his sister Maribel and rates "swimming with the dolphins" as the best thing that has happened to him as a result of his tennis career.

Hardly the antics of a pampered primadonna but, after dominating the clay-court season to an extent rarely seen before, the left-hander, who eats with his right because "God orders it", is about to be catapulted into a totally different sphere.

"Not since the days of Boris Becker have I seen such intimidation on a tennis court," admitted an admiring John McEnroe. "His physicality can frighten opponents into submission almost without a stroke being played.

"It's the beauty of youth - he's fearless and he loves to compete. That's a pretty lethal combination."

It is also a combination that will ensure Nadal remains the player to be shot at for the next two or three years.

How he reacts to that challenge will dictate whether or not he is able to maintain the standards he has set since the turn of the year.

It will not be easy. Off the court, he can no longer cover himself with a cloak of youthful innocence while, on it, he must prove himself on surfaces other than his beloved clay.

One of the biggest challenges will come next month when he arrives at Wimbledon. Unusually, for a Spaniard, he has always harboured ambitions of succeeding at SW19 and, even more uniquely, he has every chance of achieving them.

He made the last eight of junior Wimbledon in 2002, before losing to Andy Roddick in the third round of the tournament proper 12 months later.

If he can improve on that performance next month, he will have proved he has the kind of 'world game' developed by the likes of Federer and Andre Agassi.

With that in his locker, the 'King of Clay' could be King of an awful lot else as well. Juan Carlos had better start collecting air miles.