Grand Slam success is long overdue for Zverev and Ruud, who are both still searching for their first title at a major.
Germany’s Zverev famously lost the 2020 US Open final to Dominic Thiem after leading by two sets, while all three of his semi-final appearances in Paris have ended in defeat.
Ruud, meanwhile, has fallen in straight sets in the last two French Open finals, losing to Nadal and Djokovic respectively.
However, the Norwegian seventh seed did get the better of Zverev in last year’s semi-final and he should be the fresher of the two for their rematch.
Ruud was handed a walkover in the quarter-finals after Djokovic’s withdrawal from the tournament through injury.
Fourth seed Zverev has played almost 17 hours of tennis in his five matches, four more than Ruud.
“I’ve played a total of eight-and-a-half hours over the last three days so I need to recover,” said Zverev after his straight-set win over Alex de Minaur in the quarter-finals.
Zverev is playing in the French Open while a trial is ongoing in Berlin relating to domestic abuse allegations against him. The 27-year-old has denied the claims.