Knock it up lads. Nice and tame. Then you can hammer every bit of energy out of one another on our say so.

Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport at Roland Garros

Image source, BBC Sport

Still major queues outside Chatrier as the changeover between the day session tickets holders and those attending the night session continues.

Still only about 60% full on the 15,000-seater court.

But it is filling up very quickly and should be packed by time the first couple of blows are landed.

Image source, BBC Sport

Our aliens are about to appear on court by the way. Nadal is in the holding area, surrounding by some kind of glitzy lighting. He jumps on the spot a few times.

There's an instrumental tune playing out. Not quite the Gladiator theme tune but it's dramatic enough.

The pair are on the clay and the way the lighting is set just makes it look a picture.

Now where's the boy Jurejko with an image of said arena...

I mean seriously, what would Novak's ring walk music be?

Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport at Roland Garros

Image source, BBC Sport

Squint closely, like these fans peering over a metal fence, and you can see Novak Djokovic going through his final warm-ups.

Like a boxer waiting for his ring walk, the defending champion is pacing around in the depths of Chatrier.

Coach Goran Ivanisevic is on hand to offer any words of wisdom needed.

So as we're into the depths of a major rivalry tonight, I have a simple question.

What is the rivalry in sport that truly moves you? Liverpool v Man Utd? Rangers v Celtic? England v Australia? Is there a local fixture you just live for?

I need to know about it. Send me tweets with why it's so important in your life.

I'm on #bbctennis and I'm bang up for reading them.

Here's Alexander Zverev when he found a fiver in his pocket earlier. We've all been there.

Well, that's what I think went on anyway. He'd also just reached the semi-finals.

The young man will face Djokovic or Nadal.

If you want to read about his progress it's right here.

Image source, Getty Images

If anyone has followed a live text with my name on it this week, they'll have seen me explain I like Diego Schwartzman as he's only around 5ft 7in and I get behind any short sportsman or woman as, to be frank, I'm not touching the clouds myself. We have to stick together.

Novak swiped my boy Diego around in the last round in three sets. I've not yet dealt with the heartache.

Image source, Getty Images

Honestly, I've not been up for anything this much since I had curry half-and-half on my way home on Saturday night.

Annabel Croft
Former British number one on BBC Radio 5 Live

It's an extraordinary rivalry that's had so many twists and turns. They've learned so many different things about each other. It's like a great, big maze when you watch their matches.

My gut feeling is to hedge towards Novak Djokovic. I feel like he has a lot to prove after not being able to play in Australia and that enabling Rafael Nadal to edge ahead in Grand Slam titles. There'll be a sub-plot there for Djokovic to try and get revenge.

There's a lot riding on this, but more for Djokovic.

If you break down the career stats, Novak Djokovic leads 30-28 on overall meetings.

But - and it's a big one - on clay the boy Rafa is 19-8 up.

We're on clay folks. Nadal will be out there skidding them into Novak's shins all night long.

These two have met in each of the last 17 seasons.

That's 58 meetings in all.

What do you think the score is if we break down wins? I'll give you a couple of minutes to guess.

Image source, Getty Images

Sun going down in Paris. My guess is the boy Jonathan Jurejko is fuelling up for his reporting duty with some kind of treat from the nearest boulangerie, we're all primed for several hours of action... what's not to like?

I'm thinking five sets, black-ball game. Like Taylor-Davis in '85 but with a lot of sweat and grunting.

To be clear, there's every chance I refer to these two men as aliens many times tonight. When I watch them at work, retrieving lost causes like a prime Paul Dickov, I can't help but think they're not from the same place as the rest of us.

Image source, Getty Images

The Ali-Frazier of the courts. Godzilla taking on King Kong. Beast versus beast. Alien versus alien.

Two men who have knocked one another around for fun, neither giving an inch in pursuit of greatness.

Let's watch them do their thing again. It will, almost certainly, be a joy.

Right then.

Anyone fancy a classic?

Laura Robson
Former British number one on BBC Radio 5 Live

I think Djokovic will be happier with the conditions tonight. It'll be a bit cooler, the court is going to be slower so Rafa's ball isn't going to have the same pop on it.

I think they'll go with that and see who gets the better start but they won't really take into account matches that have been won and lost over the years.

He won't want to miss the next match on Court Philippe Chatrier.

Among many other things, it's set to be a record-buster between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

This is will be the first time in the Open Era in men’s tennis that a match features:

• Two players with at least 20 Grand Slam titles
• Two players with at least 1,000 match wins
• Two players with at least 300 Grand Slam wins

Just staggering numbers.

The youngest men’s player to reach a French Open quarter-final since 2006, when a certain 19-year-old Novak Djokovic also achieved that feat.

More important Grand Slam experience for young Carlos Alcaraz. No doubt about it, he'll be back.

Image source, Getty Images

If that was the warm-up act, goodness knows what's in store for us tonight at Roland Garros.