2018 French Open Men's Singles Final - Rafael Nadal(Spain)Vs Dominic Thiem(Austria)Sunday June 10,2018

Rafael Nadal eyes 11th French Open title, faces Dominic Thiem in final

Austrian Dominic Thiem faces arguably the biggest challenge in sport, overcoming Rafael Nadal on the Court Philippe Chatrier clay, if he is to join the Grand Slam winners' club on Sunday.

Only two players have managed to beat Nadal at the French Open since he first bounded into Roland Garros in 2005 armed with a bulging left bicep, pirate pants and a pulverising brand of claycourt tennis the like of which had not been seen before.

Thirteen years on and his record next to the Bois de Boulogne stands at an incredible 85 wins and two losses.

An 86th win on Sunday will give the 32-year-old Spaniard an 11th French Open title -- a joint record for triumphs at a single Grand Slam along with Margaret Court who won 11 Australian Open trophies, albeit not all in the professional era.

It looks a daunting mission for the 24-year-old Thiem but not necessarily an impossible one.

He is the only player to beat Nadal on clay in the past two years -- in Rome last year and in Madrid last month -- and this season no other player, not even the undisputed claycourt king, can count as many match wins on the red dirt.