Rafael Nadal defeated Stan Wawrinka in the final, 6–2, 6–3, 6–1 to win the men's singles tennis title at the 2017 French Open. It was his record-extending tenth French Open title and 15th major title overall. Nadal became the first man to win ten singles titles at the same major. He won the title without losing a set for a record-equaling third time, not losing more than four games in any set played. He lost only 35 games during the tournament, his personal best, and the second-best in the tournament's history after Borg in 1978. Nadal also became the third man, after Ken Rosewall and Pete Sampras, to win a major title in his teens, twenties, and thirties.

Stanislas Wawrinka is a Swiss professional tennis player. He reached a career-high Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) singles ranking of world No. 3 for the first time on 27 January 2014. His career highlights include three major titles, those being the 2014 Australian Open, 2015 French Open and 2016 US Open, where he defeated the world No. 1 player in the final on all three occasions. Other achievements include reaching the final of the 2017 French Open, winning a Masters 1000 title at the 2014 Monte-Carlo Masters, and reaching three other Masters finals. Representing Switzerland, Wawrinka won gold in doubles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics partnering Roger Federer, and was also pivotal in the Swiss team's victory at the 2014 Davis Cup.