Casper Ruud believes he needs to take lessons from Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal on stepping up his game when needed to win big titles

Casper Ruud believes he needs to take lessons from Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal on stepping up his game when needed to win big titles

Casper Ruud, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal at the ATP Finals 2022

The World No.3 Casper Ruud of Norway played another final in another important tournament but eventually couldn’t clinch the title. He played the Championship matches of both the French Open and the US Open earlier this year but lost to none other than tennis sensations Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros and Carlos Alcaraz at the Flushing Meadows.

He also reached the 2022 ATP Finals singles final. But again, he lost, this time to Serbian Novak Djokovic. This was his seventh final of a major tournament this year

In the post-match conference, Casper Ruud expressed his disappointment. He admitted that he has got to learn many skills before he can challenge the two greats- Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

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“Novak and Rafa are exceptional. They have the ability to step forward when needed, which is not my case. It’s something that I want to develop, to have the confidence in myself to be able to do it. I hope that this year, I can contribute to this confidence. Facing Rafa at Roland Garros and Novak at the Masters are some of the toughest challenges we face. I don’t feel too bad about not being able to beat them. It gives me motivation and hunger for the next opportunity,” he said.

Casper Ruud earned 800 points for his showing at the Championship match of the 2022 ATP Finals. He also jumped one position up to World No.3 from No.4 in the ATP rankings.

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Can Casper Ruud win the 2023 Australian Open?

Casper Ruud
Casper Ruud (IMAGO / Marco Canoniero)

Casper Ruud had an exceptional season so far. He won three ATP singles titles this year which include- the Argentina Open, Geneva Open, and the Gstaad Open. He also played the Championship matches of the Miami Open, French Open, US Open, and the ATP Finals.

The 2022 season is finally coming to an end. The Norwegian will have a lot of time to introspect about his performances in the next couple of months as he gears up for the 2023 ATP season. He will be hoping this time to play and win the first grand slam of the year, i.e., the 2023 Australian Open.

But this is not going to be easy for the 23-year-old. The Australian summer is harsh and can test the physical fitness of Casper Ruud. He has to train hard and learn well to acclimatize himself to the conditions.

Rafael Nadal, who is the defending champion will be heading early to Australia to prepare better for the competition Down under. The nine-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic will be back in Australia after a gap of one full year. Then there are new guys such as 2022 US Open winner Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune, 2022 Australian Open finalist Daniil Medvedev, 2022 ATP Finals semi-finalists Andrey Rublev, and Taylor Fritz who can possess a challenge for the Norwegian. It will be seen how Casper Ruud pass these tests to win the first grand slam of his career.

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