Casper Ruud shares his emotions coming up against Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in a Grand Slam final
Casper Ruud has made it to three Grand Slam finals, losing two of them to Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic respectively.
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Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Casper Ruud (images via Record/X)
Norwegian tennis superstar Casper Ruud has shared insights into his mindset ahead of big Grand Slam final matchups against Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Ruud has played three Grand Slam finals in his career, two of which were against members of the Big 3.
On a live podcast, the Barcelona Open champion highlighted one remarkable quality of both Nadal and Djokovic. Ruud claimed that they have a way of suffocating their opponents, making it feel as though defeat is inevitable, even when their opponent is ahead in the scoreline.
The two finals I played, against Rafa in 2022 and against Novak in 2023, I thought, ‘Could it be harder… Can you find more motivated players in the history of the game?’ You understand that they’re probably going to stay on court until the death. They don’t want to lose, especially when Novak is trying to win his 23rd Grand Slam. You know he’s just going to lock it down and you can be 5-1, 40-0 in the first set and he’s probably going to win it one way or another.
Casper Ruud said on Nothing Major podcast
He then went on to chime in about Nadal as well.
Against Nadal, with his foot injury, I was pretty optimistic. I came in with confidence, I wasn’t too nervous, certainly a little bit, but I didn’t feel like I had any pressure, but the match started and I got broken in the first game, that’s it.
Casper Ruud added
Ruud’s first Grand Slam final was at the 2022 US Open, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in four sets. However, his Roland Garros final losses in 2022 and 2023 to Nadal and Djokovic were more straightforward.
This year, Ruud managed to beat Djokovic in the Monte Carlo semifinals. However, he failed to return to the French Open final, losing to Alexander Zverev in the semifinals.
Paris Masters tournament chief shares verdict on Novak Djokovic’s withdrawal
Paris Masters tournament director Cedric Pioline commented on Novak Djokovic‘s unexpected withdrawal from the event, saying the Serb is likely choosing to “manage his body.” Djokovic holds a record seven titles at the indoor tournament in Bercy, with his most recent victory coming in 2023 when he defeated Grigor Dimitrov.
He is the defending champion – but he is 37 years old if I am not mistaken. He has had a complicated year physically since he had a meniscus operation just before Wimbledon. He won the Olympic Games, it is his only title but that was the objective, so objective achieved. I think he has reached a stage in his career where he manages his schedule as his body asks him to manage it.
Cedric Pioline said in an interview on Eurosport
Despite his past success, the 37-year-old will not return in 2024 to compete for an eighth title, as he has pulled out of the event. This decision seems to mark the end of Djokovic’s 2024 season. His only title this year is the Olympic gold medal. He also lost the Wimbledon final to Carlos Alcaraz and the Shanghai Masters final to Jannik Sinner.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion has faced challenges this season. For the first time since 2017, he did not win a major title. Djokovic reached the Australian Open semifinals but lost to Sinner and had to withdraw from the French Open due to a meniscus injury. He returned for Wimbledon but was defeated by Alcaraz in the final. At the US Open, he was upset by Alexei Popyrin in the third round.
Last year, Djokovic had an outstanding season, winning three Grand Slam titles and the Paris Masters, followed by the ATP Finals. Although he has not officially withdrawn, it appears unlikely that he will defend his year-end championship title in Turin.
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Fahad Hamid
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