Djokovic and Nadal Girlfriends Jelena Ristic and 'Xisca' Perello Prepare for Another Crunch Encounter

Tomorrow Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will go head to head in the French Open final in a battle for the world's number 1 slot.

They will be cheered from the stands by their girlfriends, Jelena Ristic and Maria Perello, with Nadal seeking to claim his ninth French open, and Djokovic his first grand slam of 2014.

Both girlfriends must now be aware of how hard fought contests between the pair can be, after 42 competitive matches between them.

Below, IBTimes UK profiles the girlfriends of two of tennis's biggest stars.

Ristic and Djokovic are high school sweethearts, with Ristic's mother describing their first encounter almost nine years ago as "love at first sight".

The couple will marry later this year, and in April announced on Twitter that they are expecting their first child.

Ristic is the director of the Novak Djokovic foundation, a charity founded by the couple to help underprivileged children in their native Serbia.

She has a degree in business administration studies from Bocconi University in Milan, and in 2011 was awarded a masters in Monaco.

For the last three years, according to her LinkedIn page, she has worked as a digital marketing, branding, and communications consultant, and has also modelled swimwear.

Rafael Nadal and Maria Francisca Perello, known by her nickname "Xisca", have also been dating for eight years, after meeting while growing up on the island of Palma de Majorca.

There are similarities between Ristic and Perello, with both having studied business administration before working for charities.

Perello studied for her degree in London, and two years ago became director of social integration at the Rafael Nadal Foundation, which provides education and support for disadvantaged youths.

However, unlike Ristic, who can regularly be seen cheering her fiancé on from the stands, Perello avoids the spotlight , and rarely attends Nadal's matches so not as to distract him.

"Raf and Xisca are both very shy and ordinary people who like to live simply. They are not at all interested in a celebrity lifestyle. They get together when the tournaments are over. That's how Raf winds down," a source close to the couple recently told an interviewer.