The 'King of Clay' reigns supreme yet again. 11 finals and 11 wins. Take a bow! A tough day for Dominic Thiem, who was appearing in his first ever Grand Slam final.
9.27 pm: Rafael Nadal is the French Open champion for the 11th time! 6-4, 6-3, 6-2
45 unforced errors from Thiem in his first ever Grand Slam final. That's a telling stat.
9.16 pm: Another break for Nadal and he is just one service game from his 11th title.
9.13 pm: Nadal is just two games away from yet another Grand Slam win in Paris. He leads 4-2
9.05 pm: Despite the discomfort, Nadal manages to serve out the game and hold his lead. 3-1
9.04 pm: Nadal's back on the court again to serve but he tells his team that he is struggling to hold the racquet.
9.03 pm: Nadal asks for a medical time-out as he tells the umpire 'I can't move', pointing to his left wrist
8.57 pm: Another early break for Nadal. He leads 2-0 in the third set.
8.55pm: Nadal's angled forehand winners are making it difficult to close out his service game. Duece again.
8.53 pm: A fiercely fought game out there. Duece
8.48 pm: But Nadal holds his service game to level the set at 1-1.
8.44 pm: And Thiem takes the lead in the first set. 1-0
8.42 pm: Three big forehands and three points for Thiem, as fights back to bring the first set to a duece.
8.39 pm: Nadal wins the first point of the third set after an unforced error from Thiem at the end of a 20-shot rally.
8.33 pm: Yet another unforced error from Thiem as Nadal takes the second set 6-3. The Spaniard is marching towards his 11th French Open title.
8.29 pm: Thiem holds his service game as Nadal serves for the second set.
8.24 pm: Two superb net plays followed by a Thiem unforced error gives Nadal a 5-2 lead in the second set.
8.24 pm: Just when Thiem thought he could get a break, Nadal throws in the sucker punch. He wins the point on the net and its duece.
8.15 pm: A flawless service game from Thiem. 4-2. A crucial game for the Austrian to remain in the final?
8.05 pm: Thiem registers his first point on board in the second set.
7.58 pm: Nadal is proving to be too powerful for Thiem. Another break for the Spaniard. 2-0
It is worth noting that Thiem ended Nadal's record-breaking run of 50 successive sets won on clay and in the process defeating him at the Madrid Open last month. Can he stage a repeat performance?
7.40 pm: Nadal takes the opening set 6-4! Another unforced error from Thiem as he blasts his forehand long.
7.35 pm: Thiem to serve to stay in the set. He trails 4-5
Three-time Champions League winner and former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane is in the house!
7.27 pm: That was quick from Nadal. An unforced error from Thiem gives him the lead in the first set. 4-3
7.23 pm: The sixth game finally comes to an end. It required 16 minutes for Thiem to close it in his favour. 3-3
7.21 pm: Superb point from Thiem. Both players approach the net with Thiem reaching low to dig out the volley. Advantage Thiem.
7.19 pm: Thiem stays alive in his service game as Nadal hits the ball out of play. Scores back at duece. The game has extended beyond the 12-minute mark.
7.06 pm: Thiem should have put that away. He hits its straight at Nadal after racing to the net and the Spaniard lobs it over his head for the point. Game point for Nadal.
7.03 pm: A shaky service game from the Austrian but he holds his nerve to see it out.
6.55 pm: Thiem comes roaring back to break Nadal's serve! A smashing forehand winner to wrap the game. 2-1 to Nadal.
6.50 pm: Thiem's opening service game is not on the money as Nadal helps himself to a 2-0 lead.
6.45 pm: Nadal holds his opening service game with ease to get things underway.
The warm-ups are done and the players take their place in the court. Will it be a 11th crown for Nadal or a first Grand Slam for Thiem?
6.30 pm: Nadal and Thiem are out at the Philipe-Chatrier court for the French Open men's final.
On Sunday, Nadal takes on the 24-year-old Austrian Dominic Thiem, who’s been the only player to beat Nadal on clay — the only surface they’ve met on — in the last two years. Nadal leads their head-to-head 6-3.
The two have met twice before in the French Open, with Nadal winning in the second round in 2014 and then, in the semifinals in 2017. In fact, that last match was the second time in two years that Thiem had made the Roland Garros semis. And both times, he lost to the eventual champion.
READ: French Open 2018: Thiem stands in the way of Nadal’s Undecima
Widely considered the second best player in the world today on clay, Thiem has won 10 titles on the surface. He has a 26-6 record on clay this season; Nadal is 25-1. And in this French Open, the two are pretty evenly matched.
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