Good afternoon and welcome to our LIVE online text coverage as the 2012 French Open draws to a fitting conclusion: top seed Novak Djokovic meets Roland Garros master and curent title holder Rafa Nadal.

Nadal had been broken only once on his way to the final. That tally has trebled in the opening six games alone.

Umar on the Novak fightback: "In stark contrast to the first 3 games, Rafa is no longer playing his balls as deep. He's slowly allowing Djoko back"

NADAL 3-3 - BREAK! - Nole is succeeding in pulling Nadal into more of a protracted battle now, but only a blistering forehand denies the hold and takes us into deuce. The umpire races out to check a mark which was out by Djokovic, but the Serb replies with a powerful series of returns to save again. Djok rescues a third game point before a double-fault and an out see Rafa pulled back to level terms in the opening set!

NADAL 3-2 - Djok's confidence builds and only a sharp return on the first of a triple hold point denies him the sweep - nonetheless the Serb finishes the job to pull back to within one game.

NADAL 3-1 - BREAK! - Novak takes his first points against Rafa's serve as he claws back to 30-30 from two down. From deuce, it is the top seed who earns a break point from first advantage and maintains the power forehand long enough to take the rally for his first break. An important game, that one.

Unforced errors thus far: Djok 8, Nadal zero.

NADAL 3-0 - BREAK! - 13 minutes into the final and we have a double break. Rafa goes bezerk on the backhand returns and the end results are more in than out. The Serb picks up two points but otherwise has little to offer once again.

Hoang Nguyen (@hoangdna) on Rafa's bright start: "so far so good for Nadal. High expectation for his keeping this momentum"

NADAL 2-0 - The Spaniard is setting an early marker here. He keeps Djokovic on the back foot throughout a comfortable love service game to move clear in the opening set.

NADAL 1-0 - BREAK! - Big start for the reigning title-holder who opts for spin over pace in his returns and notches up a triple break point in the process. Djokovic is able to charge up that forehand, however, and bully his way back to deuce. A superb cross-court backhand gives Rafa first advantage, and he converts it for an opening break of Nole's serve.

Djokovic begins with serve... and the French Open men's final is underway!

It's a little overcast at the moment. The threat of rain at some stage looms, and the wind's packing a bit of a punch. But the players finish their final warm-ups and we're ready to roll. Remember, you can watch the action online LIVE courtesy of Eurosport Player.

We are moments away from getting started in Paris. Before we do, some last-minute predictions: Chuks Azunna @cazunna says Rafa in three, Bojan Vlacic @bojan_vlacic fancies Nole 3-1, Umar Ismail @umareps suspects Djok may rise to the occasion for this final despite tepid form recently.

Nadal arrives on court and is followed by Djokovic. The reaction to each man is pretty much equal from the live attendance, great receptions ahead of what should be a stellar finale.

Maria Sharapova established herself as one of the greats in the women's final yesterday when French Open success over surprise package Sara Errani made her the 10th female to secure a career Grand Slam.

Abu-Bakar (@abl_10) would make a fortune in the marketing industry: "It's the ultimate challenge for both guys. King of Clay vs Champ of Time !!!"

STATS COMPARISON: 2012 Roland Garros semis (Djokovic-Nadal) - Aces 32-15; Double Faults 7 7; 1st Serve % 67% 63%; 1st Serve Points Won 73% 80%; Games Lost 81 35; Sets Lost 4 0; Time On Court 16 hours, 34 minutes 12 hours, 22 minutes.

Christian (@th3butch3r) hopes Nole can resist the clay form of Nadal enough to help produce a thriller: "a fit injury free Rafa is unbeatable in five on Clay. I'm happy to be proven wrong as if Djok wins we are in for best match ever"

Regarding the threat of rain disruptions: the skies are currently clear and we are optimistic of an unhindered final in Paris. However, there are mixed reports as to whether the heavens will open during the course of the action. At the very least we should be safe from a repeat of the final these two men contested last month in Rome, which was delayed by 24 hours thanks to the weather...

Get warmed up with our preview piece, complete with video and quotes heading into the clay climax:

We want YOUR thoughts on the final before, during and after the action. Want to get involved? Follow me on Twitter - @liamhappe - and tweet over your predictions, observations and messages of support. We will be publishing them throughout!