Long-time rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic renew their rivalry when they meet in the French Open finale on Sunday, with the winner leaving Roland Garros as the world's number one ranked male tennis player.
Nadal, an eight-time champ at Roland Garros, is looking to win his 14th major while Djokovic is thirsty to end his miseries in the French Open and finally complete a career Grand Slam.
The match-up was completed when the top seeded Nadal bested Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 in dominating fashion. His coach and uncle, Toni Nadal, called his Rafa's game as one of the best he has played in the clay court.
When asked about his final match-up against Djokovic, Nadal told the Associated Press: ''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.''
Nadal will enter Sunday's finale the favorite, with an impressive 34-match winning streak. He is 65-1 overall at the clay court.
Meanwhile, the second-seeded Djokovic set up his finals encounter with Nadal by beating 18th seed Ernests Gulbis of Latvia.
The French Open finals will have Djokovic and Nadal playing each other for the 42nd time. Nadal leads the match-up 22-19. However, Djokovic has won their last four meetings including one on clay court last month. That win, according to the Serb, boosted his self-confidence.
Still, he does not believe he has the upper hand in his match-up, saying: "I don't know how much 'upper hand' I have, really. ... There is no doubt that he is the favorite to win the title.''
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