Rafael Nadal

The king returned to his domain once again and asserted that he was not about to abdicate his throne anytime soon.

The king is Rafael Nadal, and his kingdom is the French Open in Paris. Nadal earned the 12th French Open title of his career Sunday with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 triumph over 25-year-old Dominic Thiem.

When the challenger had the audacity to push the 33-year-old Nadal in the first set and steal the second, the champion stepped up his game to a spectacular level and nearly blanked Thiem the rest of the way.

Nadal swept through seven matches in France, losing one set to 27th-seed David Goffin in the third round and another to Thiem in the final round. His other five victories were all straight-set victories.

"I work hard, and I hold the passion for what I am doing," Nadal told NBC tennis analyst John McEnroe in explaining his dominance in Paris. "I have been going through some tough moments over the last 18 months with a lot of injuries and a lot of issues. I have had low moments. I have been able to keep going and keep working and making small improvements.

"My game adapts very well to this surface. The key is to play with passion."

Thiem had a brilliant tournament, as he defeated Novak Djokovic in a five-set semifinal match, before meeting Nadal in the title round.

"My level of play was really high in the first and second set, but after that Rafa stepped on me," Thiem told McEnroe after the match. "I gave it everything I had, and it was not enough."

Nadal was able to dominate the game with his precise serve. He won 78 of 106 points on his first serve (73 percent) and 18 of 28 points (64 percent) on his second serve, per RolandGarros.com. Thiem's serve was more vulnerable, as the challenger won 37 of 64 points on his first serve (57 percent) and 14 of 28 on his second serve (50 percent)

Thiem also made 38 unforced errors, while Nadal had 31.

                 

Wimbledon predictions

Tennis has its Big Three in Nadal, Djokovic and Roger Federer, and it would be a notable surprise if one of those players did not win at Wimbledon this summer.

The sport has rising young stars in Thiem and Alexander Zverev. They will eventually take over from the Big Three, but it will not be this year.

Federer is 37 years old, and that has to be a factor for the eight-time Wimbledon champion. His last title came in 2017, and while he is in remarkable shape, it may be difficult for him to get the best of Djokovic or Nadal.

Federer is the crowd favorite in nearly every tournament that he plays, and never more so than Wimbledon. The crowd has embraced him for years, and that should give him a boost.

Nadal whipped Federer in straight sets in Paris, and that will motivate Federer if the two players meet in London. That should be a five-set match, and Nadal will come out on top.

Djokovic is the top-ranked player in the ATP, and he will almost certainly be the No. 1 seed at Wimbledon. That's significant because it means he will have to play Federer or Nadal, and not both. That's a huge advantage.

Look for Djokovic to beat Nadal in the championship match. That will give him five Wimbledon titles, and it will cement his status as the No. 1 player in the world.

Rafael Nadal continued his dominance at Roland-Garros, defeating Dominic Thiem in four sets to win the 2019 French Open.

The victory marked the Spaniard's third straight French Open title and 12th overall at the famed clay courts. Nadal has now defeated Thiem in consecutive years, too.

After winning the first set 6-3 and losing the second 7-5, Nadal took control of the match. His 6-1, 6-1 finish left no doubt of the superior player for Sunday's showdown in Paris.

At the awards ceremony for the French Open, Rafael Nadal said to Dominic Thiem: “You’re a good person, and that’s the most important thing...Thanks for being a good example to young people everywhere.”

— Juliet Macur (@JulietMacur) June 9, 2019

Thiem simply had no answer for Nadal once he was more aggressive at the net during the last two sets.

Of course, some shots were just untouchable.

Finding another level.

Nadal inching closer to that 12th Roland-Garros title...#RG19 pic.twitter.com/4VFOzQffNP

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 9, 2019

Unfortunately for the Austrian, self-inflicted mistakes only compounded Nadal's excellence. Thiem grew frustrated as the match progressed, continually making unforced errors.

The fourth set was full of such errors, including match point.

https://twitter.com/MattRacquet/status/1137739770048761856

Despite a Nadal title on the clay basically feeling inevitable, he still dropped to the ground in pure elation.

23 wins in a row at Roland-Garros…@RafaelNadal wins his 12th title in Paris 6-3 5-7 6-1 6-1 over Dominic Thiem.

🎾 https://t.co/uLebPf6COb#RG19 pic.twitter.com/yEoAq1ghdE

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 9, 2019

Nadal's career record at Roland-Garros is sensational, and it's only getting more impressive by the year. In addition to improving to 93-2 for his career at the French Open, he set an all-encompassing record for titles.

Though the conclusions can seem quite forgone, more emotion from Nadal than usual after that win.

His invincibility here can be taken for granted, but winning the French Open 12 times is hard, y’all! #RG19

— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) June 9, 2019

Nadal shared high praise for his counterpart after the match.

As Nadal celebrates his 18th career Grand Slam victory, he now trails Roger Federer by just two for the most singles titles ever.

            

Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.

Rafael Nadal is the King of Paris once again after winning his 12th French Open title Sunday with his impressive 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 triumph over Dominic Thiem in the championship round.

However, can Nadal's dominance on the red clay translate to a victory on the speedy grass surface at Wimbledon? The London tournament is almost always the high point of the tennis year, ranking a slight but significant edge over the other three Grand Slam tournaments in Australia, France and the United States.

Nadal has the skill set to win in London, but he has not performed at anything close to the level of dominance he has set for himself in Paris. He has won twice at Wimbledon, but his last title was in 2010.

He will face intense competition from the best players in the world who will want to stop him and claim the title for themselves.

Nadal will have to be prepared for the usual suspects, meaning Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. However, Alexander Zverev and Thiem, as well as a number of other players like Kevin Anderson, Juan Martin del Potro, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Kei Nishikori could rise up and play their best matches against Nadal and keep him from winning in London.

Djokovic, not Nadal, was the top seed in Paris, and he will almost certainly have the same pre-tournament assessment in London.

Djokovic is the ATP's top-ranked player, and the 32-year-old has a 23-5 record in 2019 with two tournament victories and more than $5 million in prize money earned.

Djokovic has won 55 percent of all points played this year, including an impressive 56 percent of second-service returns. He has converted 50 percent of the 222 break-point opportunities he has faced.

The Serbian superstar has won at Wimbledon four times in his career, including last year's championship.

No player gets the love and respect from the Wimbledon crowd like Roger Federer. He has been a dominant player there throughout his career, winning eight championships. His most recent came in 2017, and while he is 37 years old, he is still a competitive player with outstanding conditioning.

Roger Federer is the smoothest man on the planet 😮 pic.twitter.com/UsC1juHbOn

— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) June 8, 2019

Federer is the third-ranked player, according to the ATP standings, and he has to be motivated to get another shot at Nadal after losing in three sets in Paris to Nadal in the semifinal round.

Federer has a 22-3 record in 2019 with two tournament titles and more than $3 million in prize money. He has excelled in all areas of his game throughout his career, and his 93 percent success rate on his own serve this year is noteworthy.

Thiem, 25, is the fourth-ranked player in the world, and he is coming off a strong performance in Paris that saw him defeat Djokovic in five sets in the semifinal round. He was able to win the second set against Nadal in the championship match, and that was no small feat.

However, after winning the second set, Nadal turned it up a couple of notches and dispatched Thiem without a problem.

Zverev is another player deserving of strong consideration because the 22-year-old German has been improving quite a bit. He has a 19-10 record this season with one tournament victory to his credit, and he has earned nearly $900,000.

                   

Prediction

Nadal is at the peak of his game. He overpowered Federer and dominated Thiem in winning the semifinal and final rounds in Paris.

He should have the confidence needed to play his best tennis at Wimbledon. However, he is likely to have to go through Federer and Djokovic if he is going to win the title since he will either be the No. 2 or No. 3 seed. 

A match against Federer is probable for the semifinal, and Djokovic would be his likely championship-round opponent.

Grass is not his preferred surface, and while he will sell out to win, he will not get through both of them. Federer will push Nadal to five sets in the semifinal, and while he will survive that match, Djokovic will get the best of him in the championship round.

Nadal will lose with the title on the line at Wimbledon.

Victory of the Week is presented by Walmart.

Rafael Nadal added a 12th French Open title to his impressive resume on Sunday, beating Dominic Thiem in a rematch of last year's final. The set scores were 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1.

Thiem gave the King of Clay a tough challenge, especially in the second set, but once Nadal pushed the tempo in the third, Thiem had no answers. 

Nadal has now won 18 Grand Slams, the second-highest total for a men's player. Only Roger Federer has more, with 20.

He came into this match having dominated his opponent on the Parisian clay:

Nadal against Thiem lifetime at Roland Garros:

6-2, 6-2, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4, 6-0, 6-4, 6-3, 6-0

— Ricky Dimon (@Dimonator) June 8, 2019

Thiem did win their most recent outing in Barcelona, however, and had reasons to believe he could spring the upset.

The Austrian started well, keeping pace with Nadal in the rallies and varying the length of his shots to keep his opponent off balance.

The two traded four games on serve before Thiem found the early breakthrough, hitting several excellent winners. Tennis writer George Bellshaw liked what he saw:

https://twitter.com/BellshawGeorge/status/1137715870690660352

Nadal immediately responded, however, winning the first three points of the next game and eventually breaking right back.

The Spaniard started to increase the pressure, and while Thiem did brilliantly in some of the rallies, the consistency of Nadal won out as the set wore on. He found another break in the eighth game, putting himself in a position to serve out the set.

Tennis fans and even fellow professionals couldn't believe how physical the contest was early:

Honestly don't know how long Nadal and Thiem can keep this up but if you're not near a screen, get near one

— Christopher Clarey 🇺🇸 🇫🇷 🇪🇸 (@christophclarey) June 9, 2019

This is a crazy high level of physicality..... Gonna be interesting to see how long Nadal and Thiem keep this level as this match goes on 🤯

— Taylor Fritz (@Taylor_Fritz97) June 9, 2019

The remarkably high standard continued in the second set, as fatigue didn't appear to be a factor for Thiem. The Austrian completed his semi-final win over Novak Djokovic on Saturday, and he needed five sets to do it.

But he hung in with the fresher Nadal before shocking the fans in attendance by breaking Nadal to take the second set 7-5:

Dominic Thiem wins the second set 7-5 over Nadal.

Thiem is now the ONLY man currently under 30 years old to have won a set in a Grand Slam singles final.#RG19

— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) June 9, 2019

But similar to the first set, Nadal bounced back from the setback in impressive fashion, winning 12 of the first 13 points in the third set and going up by a double break.

Nadal lost just one game in the set, putting him on the brink of a 12th French Open triumph.

The 33-year-old pushed his momentum into the fourth set as well, grabbing another early break. Thiem kept battling, earning praise from sportswriter Matt Zemek:

The scoreline might not reflect it, and the unfortunately low amount of value sports culture places on finishing 2nd might not reflect it either, but:

Dominic Thiem has competed well today.

He always competes well.

He competes better each year on tour.

That must be noted.

— Matt Zemek (@mzemek) June 9, 2019

But he made no inroads on Nadal's serve, and when he dropped a second serve game of his own, the match was all but over. Nadal served out the contest with ease, winning his 12th French Open.

Not many tennis players can say they have beaten Rafael Nadal on clay. However, Dominic Thiem can.

In fact, Thiem beat Nadal on clay as recently as April, when the Austrian defeated the Spaniard in the Barcelona Open semifinals. Thiem won that match 6-4, 6-4, and he will look to carry over that momentum into Sunday's matchup against Nadal in the French Open men's singles final.

Although Thiem won his most recent meeting with Nadal, he trails in the all-time series 8-4. At last year's French Open, Nadal defeated Thiem in the final in straight sets. He also beat Thiem at Roland-Garros in both 2014 and 2017.

Not only did Thiem beat Nadal on clay earlier this year, but he also owns three other wins over him on the surface. All but one of their 12 previous head-to-head matchups have been on clay. Nadal beat Thiem in five sets on hard surface in the 2018 U.S. Open quarterfinals.

As the action winds down at Roland-Garros, here's everything you need to know heading into Sunday's contest between Nadal and Thiem.

                      

Men's Final Information

Date: Sunday, June 9

Time: 9 a.m. ET

TV: Tennis Channel (Replays at 2 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. ET, 2 a.m. ET on Monday)

Live Stream: Tennis Channel Everywhere

                 

Preview

Beginning with Thiem's first clay victory over Nadal in 2016, Nadal has lost only nine matches on the surface, and four have been against Thiem. No other player has defeated Nadal more than once on clay during that span.

So if there's anybody who could take down Nadal at the French Open, it's Thiem.

Nadal is looking to win his third straight French Open championship and his 12th in the past 15 years. Eleven of his 17 Grand Slam championships have come at Roland-Garros, and no other men's singles player has won the French Open title more than six times.

And just because Nadal is now 33 doesn't mean he's slowing down. He's had an impressive showing at this year's French Open, winning five of his six matches in straight sets, including his semifinal matchup against longtime rival Roger Federer.

The only set Nadal has lost at Roland-Garros this year came in the third round, against No. 27-ranked David Goffin.

"Always, to play Rafa here on this court, is always the ultimate challenge, one of the toughest challenges in sports in general," Thiem said, according to ESPN.com's Simon Cambers. He continued:

"I played a really good match against him in Barcelona. It was six weeks ago. So, of course, I try to do similar, even though it's way tougher to play him here. But I try to keep all the positive emotions I'm having from this amazing match today, and go with a really positive mind into the match tomorrow, and then we'll see."

Thiem has a chance to do something historic. According to the ATP Tour, he is looking to become the ninth man to the defeat the two top-ranked players in the world in the same major tournament. Thiem bested No. 1 Novak Djokovic in five sets in the semifinals.

Nadal and Thiem are ranked Nos. 2 and 4 in the world, respectively, and the duo should provide an exciting conclusion to the French Open with a competitive final match.

One of the most accomplished players in men's tennis history squares off against a challenger hungry for his first major crown in the 2019 French Open men's singles final on Sunday.

The championship match at Roland-Garros pits No. 2 Rafael Nadal against No. 4 Dominic Thiem in a rematch of the 2018 final.

Nadal is the undisputed king of the clay court, as he has won 11 of his 17 Grand Slam titles at Roland-Garros.

Thiem has put together plenty of impressive results on the ATP Tour, but he still looking for his first breakthrough at a major tournament, with Sunday being just his second Grand Slam final.

                          

French Open Men's Singles Final Information

Start Time: 9 a.m. ET 

TV: NBC 

Live Stream: NBC Sports app 

                     

Prediction

Nadal over Thiem in 4 Sets

Nadal enters Sunday's final with the obvious advantage in Grand Slam final experience.

The left-handed Spaniard is 17-8 in Grand Slam finals, and he has not lost in the championship match at Roland-Garros.

Nadal is 8-4 in his career against Thiem, and he has been in remarkable form at Roland-Garros, which he pointed out to the ATP Tour's website.

"Being in the final of Roland-Garros again means a lot, and especially coming back from a tough situation with all the injuries that I had," Nadal said. "Being able to recover the level that I had the past couple of weeks is something that I am very proud of. I'm just focused on keeping going and doing my thing well."

Thiem admitted after his semifinal win over Novak Djokovic that facing Nadal again in the French Open final will be a challenge, per ATP Tour's website.

"To play Rafa here on this court is always the ultimate challenge, one of the toughest challenges in sports," the Austrian said. "I think it's really important that I go into the match with the belief to win. That's the most important thing. It's a big dream for me to win this match, to win this title."

In order for Thiem to pose a threat to Nadal, he has to find a way to break the Spaniard in one of the opening games of the first set.

In his semifinal victory over Novak Djokovic, Thiem converted on nine of the 22 break points he earned.

Thiem likely will not receive that many break-point opportunities Sunday, but if he can create a chance or two for himself on Nadal's serve, he could take advantage of the moment.

When Thiem beat Nadal earlier this season in Barcelona, he earned 12 break points but only converted on two of them.

Nadal is likely to be much sharper on his serve Sunday than he was in Barcelona. The second-seeded Spaniard is coming off a win over Roger Federer in which he recorded a first-serve percentage of 81 and conceded just four break-point opportunities.

In 17 matches on clay this season, Nadal has won 139 of his 165 games, which suggests there will only be a small window for Thiem to take advantage of if the defending champion slips up.

What has to be most concerning for Thiem is Nadal has converted on 68 of his 149 break-point opportunities on clay (45.6 percent), while the Austrian has capitalized on 40.6 percent of his.

If Nadal is more efficient on break points, he could make quick work of Thiem for the second straight year.

Thiem will put up a better fight than a year ago because of his overall form and the win he earned over Nadal in Barcelona.

However, Roland-Garros belongs to Nadal, and until someone proves the Spaniard can be defeated on the French clay, it is hard to pick against him.

                          

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from ATPTour.com and RolandGarros.com.

For the second straight year, Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem will meet in the French Open men's singles final.

A year ago, Nadal earned his 11th French Open title by defeating the Austrian in straight sets.

Sunday will mark the fourth meeting between Nadal and Thiem at Roland-Garros. Nadal has won each of those matches in straight sets.

Thiem faces a difficult task against one of the best men's singles players in the history of the sport, but he was able to produce a victory in his most recent meeting with the Spaniard at the Barcelona Open in April.

                      

Career Stats

Only Roger Federer has more Grand Slam championships than Nadal.

Nadal can move to within two of Federer on the all-time chart with his 18th major title Sunday at Roland-Garros.

Eleven of Nadal's 17 championships have come at the French Open, where he has put together winning streaks of five and four years.

A victory over Thiem on Sunday would extend Nadal's existing winning streak at Roland-Garros to three tournaments.

Thiem will be participating in just his second major final, as he has been part of a generation of players that has not been able to crack the dominance of Nadal, Federer and Novak Djokovic.

If Thiem secures his first major title Sunday, he would be just the sixth different player to win a major title since the start of the 2015 season.

Nadal is 8-4 all-time against Thiem, with four of those victories coming in major tournaments, including three at the French Open.

If there is any good news for Thiem, it is that he beat Nadal on the clay at Barcelona at the beginning of the clay court season.

In fact, all four of Thiem's victories over Nadal have come on clay.

                         

Prediction

Nadal over Thiem in 4 Sets

Even though Thiem has a good track record in recent years against Nadal, he still has not defeated him at Roland-Garros.

Nadal has been a total machine throughout the tournament, and nothing less from him should be expected Sunday.

The Spaniard has taken all but one of his matches by straight sets, but Thiem can stand out as an exception to the trend and won't lose in three sets to Nadal for the second consecutive year.

Thiem must be at his best to even take a set from Nadal, but he proved in his semifinal win over Djokovic that he has plenty of resiliency on court.

However, Nadal is the fresher of the two players thanks to his quick work during the tournament and the extended semifinal Thiem had to finish Saturday.

Most major tournaments are two-week grinds that can do damage on a player's body, and Thiem will start to tire after dealing with the emotional and physical demands of beating Djokovic in five sets over two days.

The combination of Thiem's fatigue and Nadal's relentlessness on serve should produce a similar result to a year ago.

If Thiem pushes Nadal to a fourth set, he would join some elite company, as Federer, Djokovic and Mariano Puerta are the only players to push Nadal past a third set in French Open finals he has won.

                               

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from ATPTour.com.

Rafael Nadal will have to get past Dominic Thiem to win his 12th French Open title on Sunday, when the men's final will be played on the legendary Court Philippe-Chatrier.

The Spaniard booked his spot in the final with a routine win over Roger Federer on Friday, while Thiem outlasted Novak Djokovic in a five-set epic that finished on Saturday.

Per the event's official website, the prize for the winner will be €2.3 million (roughly $2.6 million). The final will start after the the women's doubles final and not before 3 p.m. local time (2 p.m. BST/9 a.m. ET).

Nadal has been in exceptional form in what has long been his best Grand Slam, evidenced by what amounted to an easy three-set win over Federer in the semi-finals:

Federer had been cruising along himself, but he had no answers against Nadal, who once again underlined his status as the King of the Clay. The 33-year-old is nearly untouchable on the surface and has been especially great in the French capital:

I mean, good luck to Dominic Thiem, but this is Rafael Nadal's career record at the #FrenchOpen

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWLWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWLWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

That's 92-2.

— Brydon Coverdale (@brydoncoverdale) June 8, 2019

Thiem has become something of a specialist on the surface himself, and all four of his wins over Nadal have come on clay. That includes a two-set semi-final triumph in Barcelona earlier this year, where he ended up winning the tournament without dropping a set.

The Austrian's best performance in a Grand Slam came in Paris last year, when he advanced to the final. The 25-year-old couldn't win a set off Nadal in that match, however, as the latter won his 11th title.

His preparation for the rematch did not go smoothly, as he needed five sets over the course of two days to get past Djokovic. Their semi-final was suspended twice on Friday because of rain and heavy winds, and there were more delays on Saturday.

While Thiem was waiting for his chance and battling when he got it, Nadal was able to relax:

Thiem-Djokovic - Deep in a 5th set

Rafael Nadal: pic.twitter.com/CofE3p3jOK

— Christopher Clarey 🇺🇸 🇫🇷 🇪🇸 (@christophclarey) June 8, 2019

His fresher legs should be a major advantage on Sunday, especially on the slower clay. The surface requires plenty of quick movements and tends to serve up longer rallies, favouring the fresher player.

Thiem has made strides since last year, evidenced by his great showing in Barcelona, but Nadal always seems to rise to the occasion in Paris and had an extra day to rest. He's in a great position to continue his dominance of Roland-Garros, providing the weather doesn't play up yet again.

                     

Prediction: Nadal wins in four sets.

Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem will contest the final of the 2019 French Open on Sunday in a repeat of the 2018 final.

The Spanish superstar is searching for his 12th title at Roland-Garros as the competition witnesses a repeat of the 2018 final.

Thiem eliminated Novak Djokovic in a thrilling five-set semi-final but will be the heavy underdog against Nadal in Paris.

                                

Date: Sunday, June 9

Time: 10 a.m. (ET)/3 p.m. (BST)

TV Info: NBC (U.S.), Eurosport, ITV 4 (UK)

Live Stream: NBC Sports Live, Eurosport Player, ITV Hub

                   

Men's Final Preview

Thiem continues to build a reputation for himself on clay but must now tackle one of the greatest ever on the surface.

His semi-final win over Djokovic was the first time Thiem has defeated a world No. 1 at a major, and now he's seated on the brink of history.

The 25-year-old could not face a tougher sporting task than having to beat Nadal to win the French Open.

Roland-Garros is the Spaniard's playground. He has won the tournament 11 times, including the last two titles after overcoming injuries and a loss of form that saw him fail to win the event in both 2014 and 2015.

Nadal was ruthless in beating Roger Federer in the last four, winning in straight sets against his great rival.

It was a complete display that will have been noted by his forthcoming opponent:

Thiem will be reminded of his experiences in the final 12 months ago, in which Nadal was irrepressible as he claimed the title in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.

There's only two places between the pair in the tournament seedings, but Nadal's experience at this level gives him a mammoth advantage.

Speaking before his victory over Djokovic, the No. 4 seed Thiem said he feels his form has improved each round, and he understands the huge task ahead of him as he searches for his first major win:

It's difficult to see past Nadal collecting yet another trophy in Paris, but there could be a passing of the torch if Thiem shocks the world.

The Austrian has continued to prove he is one of the best, and the next hurdle to jump is to beat a legend to capture a noteworthy championship.

However, the 33-year-old Nadal continues to amaze with his athleticism and ball-striking and will be looking to extend his record number of French Open titles to 12; Bjorn Borg's previous record stood at six in the Open Era.

For the first time in over a decade, Rafael Nadal is facing an opponent in back-to-back years in the French Open men's singles final. 

A year ago, Nadal took down Dominic Thiem in straight sets on the final day of the tournament at Roland-Garros. 

Thiem has another shot to win his first major title Sunday, but he comes in with a significant disadvantage after he was forced to finish off his semifinal win over Novak Djokovic Saturday. 

Nadal, who has the most men's singles championships in French Open history, will be on full rest for his attempt at a 12th French Open crown, and 18th overall major, after he dispensed of Roger Federer in straight sets Friday. 

                      

2019 French Open Men's Singles Final Information

Start Time: 9 a.m. ET 

TV: NBC 

Live Stream: NBC Sports app 

                  

Nadal has faced seven different opponents in the French Open final, and Thiem is the third player the Spaniard has taken on multiple times. 

The opponents have varied each year for Nadal since he beat Federer in three straight finals from 2006-08. 

Mariano Puerta, David Ferrer, Stanislas Wawrinka, Robin Soderling, Djokovic and Thiem have all tried to defeat the left-handed champion, but each has come up short. 

Since 2010, Nadal has only lost a set in three of the seven finals he has featured in, and he won all of those three matches in four sets. 

Nadal's freshness on the court and his dominance at Court Philippe-Chatrier make Thiem's task near impossible Sunday. 

In his semifinal win over Federer, Nadal recorded a first-serve percentage of 81 percent and struck 33 winners compared to his 19 unforced errors. 

The Spaniard was also hard to break on serve, as Federer could only manage four break points, two of which he won. 

Nadal took advantage of Federer's mistakes on serve by forcing 16 break points, but he only converted on six of them. 

If Nadal is able to achieve similar success returning Thiem's service Sunday, he could be in line for another straight-sets victory over the Austrian.

Thiem looked susceptible to mistakes on serve against Djokovic, especially after coming back from the second weather delay Saturday. 

In addition to losing seven service breaks to Djokovic, Thiem won just 65 percent of his first-serve points.

Thiem was able to earn nine breaks on Djokovic's serve, but there is a slim chance of him receiving 22 opportunities to break against Nadal, as he did against the top-seeded Serb. 

The fourth-seeded Austrian must be as close to perfect as possible on serve, like he was in his last meeting with Nadal in April on Barcelona's clay. 

In the straight-sets win in Spain, Thiem only gave up three break-point opportunities and saved all of them, while he was able to break Nadal once in each set of the 6-4, 6-4 win. 

But even if Thiem produces the best match of his life, there is no guarantee he will be able to conquer Nadal, who has proved on multiple occasions that he is the master of clay. 

If Thiem is able to pull off the upset, he would become the first first-time major winner since Marin Cilic at the 2014 U.S. Open.

Since the start of 2015, Nadal, Federer and Djokovic have combined to win 14 major tournament titles. 

                           

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Statistics obtained from ATPTour.com and RolandGarros.com