Rafael Nadal is just one win away from becoming the first tennis player in the Open Era to lift 10 trophies in a single tournament and also become the oldest in history to claim his 15th major title. The Spaniard is set to take on world no.3 Stan Wawrinka who is looking for his second Roland Garros title and is also hoping to extend his unbeaten run in Grand Slam finals to 4-0.
Apart from wanting to win the French Open and adding yet another Grand Slam title to their name, both the players will also be playing to move up to No. 2 spot in the ATP world rankings. Nadal and Wawrinka have both been exceptional at the French Open so far.
Also read: Past records show Rafael Nadal as huge favourite to beat Stan Wawrinka in French Open final
The Spaniard has not yet dropped a set this tournament and has only dropped 29 games leading up to the final. As for Wawrinka, the Swiss had just dropped two sets so far which came in the semi-finals against Andy Murray and if there is anyone who can stop Nadal from winning his 10th French Open title, it is the world no.3.
Realistically speaking, everyone expects Nadal to win the final on Sunday, June 11, given how dominant he has been since the clay court season started. He won three of the clay court tournaments (Monte Caro Masters, Barcelona Open and Madrid Open) leading up to the French Open and looks unstoppable.
Nadal is 15-3 against Wawrinka but the Swiss has beaten his French Open finalist in a Grand Slam final before and has also defeated him on clay before. It's not easy to tell if Wawrinka will be able to cause an upset today or not as everyone who has come up against Nadal so far has prove to be no match for him at all.
However, let's not forget the 2015 Roland Garros final when Wawrinka was up against Novak Djokovic and despite the Serbian being in excellent form leading up to that match he managed to defeat him. Also the fact that Wawrinka has never lost when he has played in a Grand Slam final might give him the extra motivation he needs to win or at least not let Nadal have an easy victory like he has been having so far.
The 32-year-old Swiss is looking to write his name in the history books as he is looking to join elite company as just the third player to win three or more Grand Slam titles after turning 30.
"It's going to be really difficult. But again, in the end of the day, it's the final. The pressure is on both players. No one goes on the court thinking he has no pressure. We both want to win the title and we are both going to give it our all on the court," ATP's official website quoted Wawrinka as saying.
"He's for sure going to be the favourite with what he's done in the past, but also this season already he's playing so well. So I will have for sure to play my best tennis. But again, I did that in the past, so we will see what's going to happen on Sunday."
As for Nadal, the Spaniard has once again stated that his final is going to be tough match but that remains to be seen. He believes that he needs to play aggressive, long and not give Wawrinka easy positions to play from or he could be in trouble.
"It's true that when he hits hard, he hits really hard. Stopping him can be difficult... I will have to do everything I can to keep him from playing aggressively. If I can play long balls, if I can hit hard, if I can do that, I think I will be able to control him. I know he's dangerous when he plays aggressively, so I need to limit his possibilities," Nadal said.
Where to watch
The French Open 2017 final between Rafael Nadal and Stan Wawrinka is set to start at 3:00pm local time, 6:30pm IST and 2:00pm BST.
TV and live streaming information
India: TV: Star Sports Select HD1. Live Streaming: Hotstar.
Europe: TV: EuroSport. Live Streaming: EuroSport Player.
UK: TV: ITV. Live Streaming: ITV Hub.
Canada: TV: TSN. Live Streaming: TSN TV.
USA: TV: Tennis TV and NBC Sports. Live Streaming: NBC Sports Live.
Australia: TV: Fox Sports. Live Streaming: Foxtel.
Middle East: TV: Bein Sports Arabia. Live Streaming: Bein Sports Connect.
