Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
8:56 AM ET

Experience vs. young people in Paris. In the men's final at the French Open on Sunday, it will be argued that it is time for a new generation of tennis players to take the court.

Nadal will be the favorite to extend his incredible record-setting tally of victories in Paris, but the first Norwegian to play a Grand Slam singles final in the Open era will take place.

It's all about 13

That's the number of titles Nadal has won at the French Open, and he's won two of them in the last week.

He is giving 13 years to a man who has fought his way to a first Slam final. Is it possible for Nadal to win again at 36? We will have live updates here.

Getting ready

Limber up πŸ€Έβ€β™‚οΈ

It's almost go time ⏰#RolandGarros | @CasperRuud98 pic.twitter.com/9pdVaOQ59q

β€” Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 5, 2022

Getting ready πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈ#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/0M3USMr52j

β€” Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 5, 2022

Previewing the match

Why Rafael Nadal will win

πŸŽ™οΈ "A very tough match" πŸŽ™οΈ@RafaelNadal reflects on his semi-final win at #RolandGarros

β€” Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 3, 2022

This isRoland Garros because he's Rafael Nadal. Having won all 13 finals he has played in, the King of Clay knows exactly what he has to do to win this time around.

The extra room around the court that allows him to come up with such incredible winners is what makes him the best player in the world.

They've never played each other on the tour, but Nadal knows the man from their time together in Mallorca. They played a lot of practice sets.

The Australian yelled out "best player in the world and still he gets the luck" when Nadal was playing Jordan Thompson.

The German player suffered a serious ankle injury at the end of the second set and was forced to retire. Had the match continued at the same speed, it could have lasted several hours.

We don't know what's going on behind the scenes, but it seems that Nadal's left foot has held up well so far, a near miracle given how much pain he was in during the Rome Masters a few weeks ago.

It's worth remembering that if Nadal wins his 22nd Grand Slam title, he will be halfway to the calendar-year Grand Slam for the first time in his career, which would make Wimbledon a temptation.

Nadal knows how to get the job done if he is healthy. If he does, it would be a huge surprise.

Why Casper Ruud will win

πŸŽ™οΈ "It's a dream to be able to play a Grand Slam final"@CasperRuud98 speaks on today's win and looks ahead to Sunday's final:#RolandGarros

β€” Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 3, 2022

He is the first Norwegian man to reach a Grand Slam final, having begun his campaign with a difficult match against France's darling, Jo- Wilfried Tsonga, and seen off a number of more experienced foes.

In 2021, when he won four of his five titles on the surface, he rose into the world's top 10.

The Norwegian player is calm on the court and his tennis is as well. The venom of his forehand can cause real damage, as Cilic discovered in the semis, when 35 winners flew past him.

Although he will be nervous in his first Slam final, he has the kind of demeanor that suggests he will be able to deal with it. He has a very uncomplicated game, a good serve, excellent groundstrokes and superb movement, which should ensure he doesn't let the occasion hit him too badly.

When he visited Nadal's academy a few years ago, he was able to play many sets against him in practice, even though he has not played Nadal in an official match.

He said Nadal has always defeated him.

It always goes his way, but I want to be nice to him and give him the win, because we are playing in the academy."

There is a sense that he belongs to the group. The only way to show it was to beat Nadal.

Who will win?

Legend πŸ†š 1st-time finalist

The #RolandGarros men's singles final is πŸ”’'d in. pic.twitter.com/KOZWc2NkKs

β€” US Open Tennis (@usopen) June 3, 2022

You can't go against Nadal with a conviction. There is a chance that he might live with him for a while, maybe even take a set, but that the effort of doing so will leave him penniless. Nadal is going to win.