French Open 2014 Preview, Schedule, Live Stream: Rafael Nadal Takes on Novak Djokovic, Maria Sharapova Wins Women’s Title
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, the top two tennis players in the world today, will collide in the French Open 2014 finals on Sunday at the Court Philippe Chatrier in Paris.
Sunday's Roland Garros showdown is expected to be an epic match because there is so much at stake for both players, including who will end up as the top-ranked player in the world. The winner of the match will become No. 1 in the world rankings, and the runner-up will be the second-ranked player in the world, starting Monday.
Nadal is looking to win his fifth straight and ninth French Open title. Djokovic is aiming to bag his first Roland Garros title to finally complete a career Grand Slam.
"He has the motivation to win Roland Garros for the first time, for sure. But at the same time, he has the pressure to win for the first time," Nadal said. "I have the pressure that I want to win -- and the motivation that I want to win -- the ninth."
The top-ranked Spaniard was in his best form in the semifinals, cruising to an easy 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 victory over reigning Wimbledon champion Andy Murray to advance to the finals, and improved his Roland Garros record to 65-1.
Djokovic, on the other hand, booked a spot in the finals with a four-setter win against Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in their semis match on Friday.
The 27-year-old Djokovic said that defeating Nadal is easier said than done, but he insisted that the eight-time French Open champion is not unbeatable on the clay.
"I'm going to try to be aggressive because that is the only way I can win against him," Djokovic said. "It's easier said than done, of course, because we all know how good he is on this court. But he's not unbeatable. You know, winning against him last couple of matches in the finals, big events, definitely gives me confidence that I can do it again."
The Nadal-Djokovic showdown will begin after the women's doubles final, which is scheduled to start at 6 a.m. EST. The match will be shown live on ESPN2 and Tennis Channel, and fans can catch the live stream via WatchESPN.
Meanwhile, Maria Sharapova won her second French Open women's title after defeating Simona Halep 6-4, 6-7, 6-4 on Saturday.
Sharapova had a disappointing performance in the second set, blowing a 5-3 lead in the second-set tiebreak, but the 27-year-old Russian tennis star regrouped in the third set en route to winning her fifth Grand Slam title.
Sharapova, who played in her third-straight Roland Garros final, also won the tournament in 2012 but lost to Serena Williams last year.
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