Nadal looks for special records

Nadal sealed his place with a convincing 6-4 6-1 6-2 win over Juan Martin del Potro to reach an 11th French Open final and Thiem beat Marco Cecchinato in first semi-final to reach his first Grand Slam final.

It may be recalled Thiem had beaten Nadal in Madrid Open in May and has been the second best player during the clay season. But Nadal insists he is ready for the fight on Sunday.

Nadal said: "Thiem is an amazing player. He beat me this year in Madrid with big power. He’s playing with big confidence, winning the Lyon Open before Roland Garros and playing some great matches here.

“I know I have to play my best, I have to improve a little bit. I have done a lot of things well in the clay court season, but I believe I can be ready for the final. It is going to be tough one but I’m going to fight.”

Nadal will also try to mark a few more historical boxes on his Hall of Fame application. The 10-time Roland Garros champion can become only the second player to win 11 singles titles at one Grand Slam. Margaret Court won 11 Australian women's singles titles before 1974.

Nadal also will attempt to become the first player in the Open Era (since April 1968) to win 11 titles at three different tour-level events, having won his 11th titles at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell and Rolex Monte Carlo Masters earlier this year.

But Thiem, the 24-year-old Austrian making his Grand Slam final debut, should stride onto Court Philippe-Chatrier with his chest out and head nodding. The seventh seed beat Nadal last year in Rome and earlier this year in Madrid, accounting for 100 per cent of Nadal's two clay-court losses in 2017 and 2018 (49-2).

“Good thing is I played a lot of good matches this clay-court season,” Nadal said. “So Sunday is the day to give my best, is the day to increase even a little bit more the level.”

Thiem will try to become only the second Austrian player – man or woman – to win a Grand Slam title when he and Nadal, 2018's clay-court match-wins leaders, face off for the third time this year. Thiem's countryman Thomas Muster won the 1995 Roland Garros title.

“He's a role model for every Austrian tennis player. He's the biggest in our sport in Austria,” Thiem said.