Nadal's quest to become the only player to win same Grand Slam ten times will be tested when he takes on Wawrinka.
At just 19, Nadal became the youngest victor of a Grand Slam title since Michael Chang won at Roland Garros in 1989 at 17. In that one, Wawrinka denied then-No.1 ranked Novak Djokovic the much-sought title everyone expected he finally would win. Roger Federer misses out injured, but Rafa Nadal, Andy Murray and defending champ Stan Wawrinka are all here.
Should Nadal win, he would extend a record he already holds, becoming the first man in history to win 10 grand slam singles titles at the same tournament. Not only has Nadal not conceded a set, he has dropped a total of only 29 games along the way. "You know what his game is, you know how well he can play, and you need to accept it".
Wawrinka is a big game player, who thrives in the environment of a two-week long tournament where you have the time to build momentum and find your form as the rounds proceed.
Nadal's topspin caused problems for his sixth-seeded rival throughout the match, and his experience also paid off.
"Rafael has been playing very well the whole season, both on hard courts and clay".
Unusually for Wawrinka at a grand slam, he entered the semifinal in nearly flawless form, not dropping a set.
"Of course, I can lose, but I think I'm extremely confident about what I do, about how I feel, about all the hard work I have accomplished over the past days, weeks, months, years. No one (can) go on the court thinking he has no pressure".
1973 - The last time a man older than the 32-year-old Wawrinka appeared in the men's final at the French Open.
But the Swiss regrouped and came back swinging, capitalising on a poor Murray drop shot to win the tie-break and then blasting his way through the fifth against an opponent who had nothing left.
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But with La Decima within touching distance and the chance to claim a 15th grand slam title after a three-year hiatus, it will take Wawrinka at his fiery best to stop him.
Crucially for Wawrinka, he didn't waver mentally, after blowing a 5-3 lead in the first set - and holding a set point on his own serve in the first-set tiebreak - and 4-2 in the third.
So Wawrinka ran away with the fifth set, taking 16 of the first 21 points and going up 5-0.
Even by the Spaniard's ridiculously high standards at a tournament where he has won 78 of his 80 matches since bounding into town like a runaway bull in 2005, the way he has reached a 10th final has been astonishing. At that moment, each man had won 43 points, their contrasting styles essentially erasing each other.
"I lost my way a little bit at that period", Murray said.
It was a rollercoaster of a match, with Murray second best for most of the first three sets but somehow emerging two sets to one in front.
Suddenly, he got back on track, breaking a couple of times to move ahead in the third, which he won to nose in front.
Rain meant that the final was completed on Monday which was tough on Djokovic who was a break up in the fourth set when the match was halted for the night.
Wawrinka pointed to his right temple, as he often does to celebrate success on key points, and was on his way to the final.
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