Novak Djokovic: French Open Draw Sets Up Historic Finals Showdown with Nadal

The men's draw for the 2012 French Open has been released, and tennis fans across the world received a treat, with the bracket aligning in a manner that could lead to the finals match at Roland Garros that everyone wants to see.

Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal.

Granted, it won't be a walk in the park for either player. However, if the bracket holds true to form and the tournament's top two seeds play as expected, then the men's final on June 9th will feature a duel between the world's top-ranked player and a man who has hoisted the Coupe des Mousquetaires a staggering six times, including the last two years.

The 25-year-old Djokovic, as the tournament's top seed, should in theory have received the easiest draw, but his road to the final may well be the tougher of the two for one very glaring reason. To reach the final, Djokovic must potentially defeat Roger Federer in the semifinals.

Djokovic did just that last week at the Italian Open, downing Federer in straight sets 6-2, 7-6 (4). However, the Serb fell to Federer in four sets at Roland Garros in 2011, and to call Federer a dangerous opponent would be a bit of an understatement given that he's won a mind-boggling 17 Grand Slam singles titles, including the 2009 French Open.

There will be added inspiration for Djokovic to avenge that loss in Paris a year ago. It ended up spoiling a bid at tennis history, since Djokovic went on to win the U.S. Open and Wimbledon last year after capturing the Australian Open.

His loss to Federer ruined an opportunity to win all four of tennis' "major" tournaments in the same year, and should he emerge from Roland Garros as champion, Djokovic would be the first holder of tennis' "Grand Slam" since Rod Laver in 1969.

For the record, the International Tennis Federation changed the rules regarding the "Grand Slam" in 1982, and their constitution now states that "The Grand Slam titles are the championships of Australia, France, the United States of America and Wimbledon. Players who hold all four of these titles at the same time achieve the Grand Slam."

For his part Djokovic is well aware of the added historical significance (and pressure) of this year's French Open, but he told Richard Evans of FOX Sports that he's attempting to approach this tournament as he would any other.

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"It would mean the world to me to win here. But I don't want to put extra pressure on myself. I try to approach this tournament this year as any other year and to prepare equally well. That's my mind-set."

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To the 31 saps, I mean players, who drew Nadal's side of the bracket, all I can say is "au revoir." The soon-to-be 26-year-old Spaniard has won six of the past seven French Opens, and his career record at Roland-Garros is 45-1. Simply put, if you're playing against Rafael Nadal on a clay court then you're in trouble.

This is a fact that Djokovic is well aware of, having lost to Nadal the last two times they faced each other on clay, including a straight-set loss at the Italian Open. However, prior to that Djokovic had a seven-match winning streak against Nadal, including victories in the 2012 Australian Open and both the U.S. Open and Wimbledon a year ago.

This sets the stage for what could be a titanic match, with a player on one side of the net who has been absolutely dominant at the French Open trying to stop another from achieving a measure of athletic immortality.

As fans of not only the sport of tennis but just sports in general, what more could you ask for?