Rafael Nadal vs Dominic Thiem: French Open final preview
Rafael Nadal is on course to win his record 11th French Open title and 17th Grand Slam. The Spaniard has been in fine form and is the favorite to win the crown. However, in clay-court specialist Dominic Thiem, Rafa has a worthy challenger who will not let him walk away with the top prize without putting up a fight. Here's our pre-match report.
Nadal is the undisputed King
Rafael Nadal is 'almost' unbeatable in Paris. The 10-time French Open champion boasts an astounding 85-2 win-loss record at the clay-court major. His first loss came in fourth round against Robin Soderling in 2009. The only other loss was against Djokovic in quarter-final of 2015 edition. Thiem definitely has a task at hand. Can he beat the undisputed 'King of Clay'?
Thiem is definitely a worthy challenger
Thiem would be playing his first ever Grand Slam final. However, he can take inspiration from the fact that Nadal has been beaten just twice on clay in the past two seasons and he has inflicted both these defeats. He recently beat the Spaniard in straight sets at the 2018 Madrid Open. This ended Nadal's 21-match winning run on clay.
Head-to-head record
The two have met twice this season and have a 1-1 record against each other. However, Nadal boasts a better head-to-head record with a 6-3 advantage over the Austrian. The duo have played all their matches on clay.
Will Dominic Thiem rise to the occasion tonight?
If someone can beat Nadal, it can only be Thiem. Thiem has a chance to become first Austrian to win a Grand Slam since Thomas Muster won French Open in 1995. However, it's not going to be easy since Nadal has dropped just one set this term. Thiem is undoubtedly the underdog but he is not going to be a pushover tonight.
