WATCH: Novak Djokovic and Casper Ruud banter with each other following their qualification into the semis of the 2022 ATP Finals
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Novak Djokovic and Casper Ruud (Image from Tennis TV's Twitter)
Novak Djokovic is confirmed to finish at the top of his group in the 2022 ATP Finals. Casper Ruud, despite being the first player to qualify for the semis, is still not confirmed as the group topper but the chances are quite high that he will certainly finish at the top.
Following Djokovic’s win against Andrey Rublev in the duo’s second round-robin match, the Serb was met by the Norwegian in the locker room. While Ruud was not scheduled to play on the day, he was nevertheless preparing for his match undergoing some exercises under the supervision of his trainer.
Seeing Ruud training, Djokovic walked in and started a small banter between the two. Ruud also took it sportingly and the exchange between the two was quite fun for the fans with the video of the incident being shared on Twitter by Tennis TV.
Djokovic said, “Casper Ruud,” to which the Norwegian replied “Congrats man,” and Djokovic promptly replied, “Thanks, man.” Ruud then said, “It’s more fun when you make it, it’s more exciting. 7-6 in the third,” possibly hinting at the score line with which he was going to defeat Djokovic if they met to which Djokovic chuckled and then replied, “This is more fun, this is more fun.”
Final group game dead rubber for Novak Djokovic, Casper Ruud to play for the table topper spot
Following straight-set wins over Stefanos Tsitsipas and Rublev, Djokovic was in the pole position to finish as the group topper after his win over Rublev. With Tsitsipas then defeating Daniil Medvedev in the last match of the day, Djokovic was confirmed to finish as the topper while Medvedev crashed out from the event.
As for Ruud, he can still finish second in the group if he is defeated in his final round-robin game. Ruud however has the fate in his hand to finish as the group topper. The Norwegian takes on 22-time major winner Rafael Nadal in the final match with the Spaniard already out of the tournament following back-to-back straight-set defeats.
A win against Nadal will confirm Ruud as the table topper irrespective of the result of the match between Felix Auger-Aliassime and Taylor Fritz. As for Djokovic, the match with Medvedev is a complete dead rubber and it will be nothing but a practice match for the Serb eyeing his 6th ATP Finals title.
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Sarthak Shitole
(3462 Articles Published)