We've been here plenty of time before, and pretty much all of those times we have been treated to some of the best tennis ever seen. Another battle for the ages awaits us as one of the greatest rivalries of all-time in the sport is reignited when Rafael Nadal looks to defend his French Open crown against Novak Djokovic.
Where to Watch Live:
The Men's Final is scheduled to start at 3 pm local time (6.30 pm IST, 2 pm BST, 9 am ET). Live coverage will be on Neo Sports and Neo Prime in India. International viewers, including India, can catch the action via live streaming HERE or HERE. Listen to the action free HERE. The big final can be live streamed by UK viewers HERE. Viewers in the US can live stream the action HERE or HERE, while South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa viewers can catch the match HERE.
It is fitting that the two best players in the world have reached the final at Roland Garros, and these are two players who just don't know to throw in the towel, making the contest always compelling, jaw-dropping, headshaking, and just a plain brilliant spectacle.
Nadal, who was unstoppable in the semifinal against Andy Murray, will aim to become the first player to win five French Open crowns in a row – he is already the owner of the magnificent record of winning eight French Open titles, the most by anyone in any Grand Slam – but for the Spaniard, who has been on the receiving end of many a painful defeat at the hands of Djokovic, it will also be about showing who the main man is on that red clay in Paris.
"Novak already has a lot of times positive results here," said Nadal, who has lost his last four matches to the Serbian, including a crucial one on the red clay in Rome. "It's nothing new for him to be in the final. He has the motivation to win Roland Garros for the first time for sure.
"But at the same time, he has the pressure to win for the first time. I have the pressure that I want to win and the motivation that I want to win the ninth. So I don't see a big difference in that. I'm going to go on court with the same motivation as him. He beat me four times but he never beat me here.
"It's true that I prefer to be in a position that I beat the opponent that I'm going to play four times than in the other position. Probably he will come to the match mentally a little bit better than me because he beat me in the last four. But at the same time, my feeling is I am doing things better and I am playing better again, so that's a positive feeling for me."
For Djokovic, a comfortable enough winner over Ernests Gulbis in the semis, this match is about winning that elusive major and becoming only the eighth player in the history of tennis to win a career Grand Slam, something that not even one of the all-time greats Pete Sampras has managed to achieve. Nadal, on the other hand, can move to 14 Grand Slam titles with the legendary Sampras with his ninth French Open title.
Djokovic nearly pulled off a victory over Nadal in the semifinals last year at the French Open, with the Serbian just failing to hold his nerve in the final set as the Spaniard brought out those patented fighting skills to the fore to pull off a stunning victory.
The world number two, who also lost to Nadal in the final in 2012, though, believes that match in particular will give him the belief the 13-time Grand Slam champion is not unbeatable at Roland Garros.
"Knowing that I was that close to winning against him the past two years gives me that reason to believe that I can make it this time," Djokovic said. "We played some really close and good matches, especially the one last year serving at 4-3 in the fifth set to go 5-3. It was a very close one.
"It's easier said than done, of course, because we all know how good he is on this court. But he's not unbeatable. Winning against him last couple of matches in the finals, big events, definitely gives me confidence that I can do it again."
Only Robin Soderling has ever beaten Nadal at the French Open, the loss which opened the door for Roger Federer to complete his career Grand Slam. Djokovic will look to add his name to that list come Sunday, but in Nadal he will be up against a player who has looked like a man from another galaxy on these courts over the past nine years or so.
