Casper Ruud ‘proud’ of being the last player Rafael Nadal faced in Roland Garros final

Casper Ruud has faced Rafael Nadal twice, including in the 2022 French Open final, losing both matches in straight sets.

Casper Ruud ‘proud’ of being the last player Rafael Nadal faced in Roland Garros final

Rafael Nadal, Casper Ruud (Image via X/@Balaji_itisme, Olly Tennis)

Casper Ruud was the last player who faced Rafael Nadal in the French Open final. Nadal last lifted a Grand Slam at the 2022 Roland Garros after breezing past Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0.

Those who have faced Nadal in Paris know very well how brutal he can be in his favorite tournament. Ruud experienced the same when he reached the summit clash of the clay-court Major for the first time in his career.

My final against Rafa wasn’t so fun because I was outclassed, even though the score was harsh. If you look at history, I’m not the first to experience that. It helps put things into perspective. Before going on court, I saw myself again at 14, a spectator at Centre Court watching one of his many victories. At that age, I dreamed of facing him one day.

Casper Ruud told L’equipe

Despite the easy defeat, Ruud cherishes the match. It was the first time he locked horns with the 22-time Grand Slam champion in his career. The same year, they again met in the round-robin stage of the ATP Finals which Nadal won.

Well, when you see him on the other side of the net, it’s rather surreal! If the match had been more close, I would have liked to play more aggressively. I’m more proud of being the last person to have faced him in a final at Roland-Garros.

Casper Ruud added

Ruud had another chance to take home the French Open, for he had progressed to the summit clash the following season. But this time, Novak Djokovic was his opponent who claimed a straight-set win to lift his 22nd Grand Slam title and his third at the Roland Garros.

Nadal, at the 2023 Australian Open, suffered a hip injury which eventually forced him to call time on his career. The 38-year-old hung up his racket at the Davis Cup last year.

Casper Ruud will meet Roberto Bautista Agut in his Monte Carlo Masters opener

Casper Ruud will kick-start his Monte Carlo Masters campaign against Roberto Bautista Agut. The Spaniard knocked out Brandon Nakashima to set up the clash with the Norwegian. Ruud has met the 36-year-old four times and lost three of those matches. They first locked horns in Munich back in 2018 which Agut won.

Casper Ruud
Casper Ruud (Image via X/ATP)

Following their first encounter, they clashed in the 2022 ATP Cup, 2022 Canadian Open, and the 2024 Swiss Indoors. The only time Ruud was successful in securing a win was in the fourth round of the Canadian Open. The upcoming match will be their second meeting on clay.

Ruud was last year’s runner-up in The Principality. He faced Stefanos Tsitsipas who breezed past him 6-1, 6-4 to claim his third title in the tournament. Ruud so has reached just one final in the season. Following his disappointing campaign at the Australian Open, the 26-year-old came close to lifting the Dallas Open but Denis Shapovalov denied him the win in the final.

He is expected to have decent campaigns on the clay swing this season as he has established himself as one of the best players on the red dirt in recent years. If Ruud reaches the quarterfinals, he could set up a clash with 2025 Indian Wells champion Jack Draper.

In the semifinals, he is projected to meet World No.3 Carlos Alcaraz, who will be playing in the tournament for the second time in his career following the 2022 season. In the final, Ruud could meet World No.5 and two-time Monte Carlo Masters champion Novak Djokovic, who will once again be chasing his 100th ATP title after being denied the same by Jakub Mensik in the Miami Open final.