French Open 2015 Men's Final: Novak Djokovic vs. Stan Wawrinka Preview

One last opponent stands between Novak Djokovic and the career Grand Slam, as the top-seeded Serbian faces No. 8 Stan Wawrinka in Sunday's 2015 French Open men's singles final.

Djokovic is backed by a 28-match winning streak and an unbeaten record in majors throughout 2015, having already beaten the career-long speed bump of Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros. He overcame a five-set test from Andy Murray in the semifinals, but he couldn't finish it off until Saturday morning while Wawrinka dispatched Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Friday afternoon.

Another win for the world No. 1 may seem inevitable, but the Swiss opposition has proven tricky for Djokovic throughout stretches of his career and is playing some of his best tennis. Let's take a look at everything to know for the match.

2015 French Open Men's Final

Matchup: No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 8 Stan Wawrinka

Date: Sunday, June 7

Time (ET): 9 a.m.

TV: NBC

Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra

Preview

Michel Euler/Associated Press

For Wawrinka to break through the impossible wall of winning a men's Grand Slam in this era of Big Four dominance, he had to take on Djokovic at his stomping grounds of the Australian Open—a tournament he's won five times.

In order to win Slam No. 2, he'll have to beat Djokovic again. But the circumstances couldn't be any different.

Unlike that 2014 affair, Djokovic doesn't come in with an aura of comfortability. He's never won the title at Roland Garros as he well knows, perhaps the lone blemish on a legacy quickly entering the conversation of best ever. 

Christophe Ena/Associated Press

Then again, the cerebral Serbian has never played better under those pressures. His win streak has ballooned to 28 at Roland Garros, and not only did he give Nadal just his second French Open loss of his career during that span, but he did so in straight sets.

That win, however big as it was, didn't get him the title, and Wawrinka said that the spotlight will inevitably affect them both, per ESPN.com's Peter Bodo: "[Djokovic has] been amazing so far this year, winning every big title. But, again, he never won French Open. If I have to play him in the final, for sure we both gonna be nervous. That's a fact."

Nerves could play in with Djokovic on the cusp of history, but what's more likely to trouble the favorite is the consistency Wawrinka is finding in his power game at Roland Garros. He's won 80 percent of his first-serve points, using a strong forehand and a similarly big backhand to blow opponents like Roger Federer away.

Of course, that aggressive play can lead to Wawrinka's demise when he fails to control his hits. That has emerged on a few occasions at Roland Garros, as told by Chris Skelton of Tennis View Magazine:

Wawrinka has hit 264 winners to Djokovic's 257 in the tournament, but the above numbers show just how little the top seed gives his opponent. While Wawrinka's aggressive nature inevitably produces some unforced errors, Djokovic's style begs his opponent to keep returning difficult shots until the error comes.

The underdog has proven in Melbourne that when he's on his game, he can take Djokovic to the limit. But with how Djokovic is playing at the moment, it's almost disrespectful to factor that result.

Nadal had won nine of the last 10 French Opens and looked intent on getting his 10th. Djokovic dismantled him. Murray was playing some of his best tennis and was perfect on clay in 2015. Djokovic rose above his challenge without much danger.

With that said, it's been a transcendent tournament for Wawrinka as well. He has risen above two second-week challenges from popular Frenchmen, beat his longtime mentor Federer in the middle and has only dropped two sets all tournament.

Djokovic has beaten Wawrinka 17 out of the 20 times they have faced off, but it's safe to say neither has been playing better than he is at the moment. It should result in an epic clash with one being awarded his first French Open title.