Throughout the whole 2023 French Open, Casper Ruud displayed his on-court prowess to stun numerous top figures. From the first round to the very last match, the fourth seed tried everything he had in his arsenal to somehow get his hands on the silverware of a Major.
After comfortable wins over the likes of top contenders such as Holger Rune and Alexander Zverev, the Norwegian fell short against the descended skill and athleticism of Novak Djokovic. Taking a detailed look at his performance in the semi-final against Zverev, he didn’t give the German the slightest room to breathe.
Winning against Zverev in straight sets (6-3, 6-4, 6-0), who has been a consistent figure in the clay-court Major for the last three years and is an offensive baseliner isn’t a small deal. Moreover, Ruud ended the match on a bagel.
Similarly, he started the final against Novak Djokovic on a similar dominant note. However, when the Serb got started with his mind game, the Norwegian’s plan started falling apart. Following a hard-fought contest, the first set was forced into a tie-break.
And when the tie-breaker got underway, it seemed like the 24-year-old had lost the mental battle. Casper Ruud has a calm style of playing but losing a set after more than 80 minutes of hardship took a massive toll on his mind. Thus, he eventually failed to win a single set against the Serb and lost the match (7-6 (1), 6-2, 7-5).
Moreover, the Norwegian attains a distressing record against the likes of the ‘Big 3’. Ruud has competed against Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic on a total of eight occasions, and at all times, he has failed to capture even a single set. Highlighting the problematic record, a debate was fueled on social media.
Casper Ruud has played 17 sets against Federer, Djokovic and Nadal.
He has lost… all 17 of them 😱
— Luigi Gatto (@gigicat7_) June 11, 2023
A few tennis zealots were in favor of the Rafael Nadal academy product, stating that reaching three Grand Slam finals says a lot about his consistency. While some of them thrashed him with hard words of criticism.
He isn’t a spectacular player, but it’s clearly a mental issue. He seems defeated right from the start against those 3. Completely different posture than playing with anyone else.
— André Oliveira (@smackingg) June 11, 2023
He has a calm demeanor, and maybe saying he isn’t a flashy player instead of spectacular would be a better word choice. He’s been to 3 major finals, so at least he’s consistent enough to get there. He was up a break in the first set, and was playing well enough to win that…
— DM (@TropicThunder42) June 11, 2023
The way y’all want to break this man before he even gets to 25 is disgusting. He’s been in 3 grand slam finals. He’s building. He’s young. He’s playing once in a generation players. There can be only one winner. https://t.co/JUXftHHkfk
— BIDI BIDI BUM BUM (@layla_job) June 11, 2023
The truth is, he isn’t anywhere good enough for the level he somehow always finds himself. He’s a solid top 20 player. Maybe 7-10 when clay comes around. Just shows how weak the rest of the ATP is at the moment. https://t.co/V5TdGdigIi
— Engr Ubong (@EngrMartell) June 11, 2023
He is the modern day David Ferrer. Nothing more than that. If Ferrer was in current era he too would have reached 3 slam finals. In his time when Big Three(or Four) were there Ferrer managed only one final appearance.
— Rasesh J Mehta (@rasraj30) June 12, 2023
The match reminds me of the film Cincinnati Kid where Steve Mc Queen is fighting to take the long time poker crown from Edward G Robinson and when he loses Edward G says ‘you’re not the man yet kid!’ And it is so with all Novaks victims!
— Sarah Sobers (@SarahSobers3) June 12, 2023
Casper Ruud praises Novak Djokovic after French Open final loss
After coming up short against Novak Djokovic in the final of 2023 Roland Garros, Casper Ruud only had words of praise for the Serb. In the post-match press conference, the 24-year-old called Djokovic one of the biggest legends of tennis.
“He makes it very tough to win every point against him, he reads the game very well. It’s tough to find winners against him. All credit to him for how good he is. He’s one of the biggest legends of our sport, and hopefully one day I can beat him. But at the major level, it’s going to be tough for sure.” Ruud said.
Casper Ruud:
“The 3 players I played in GS finals were Rafa going for 22, Alcaraz on fire in NY, Djokovic playing for 23… I can’t sit & make excuses, but let’s see what the future brings, if I can have more “playable” players. A Slam title is my biggest goal, my biggest dream” pic.twitter.com/8VDcOMgs1F
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) June 11, 2023
Thus, the Norwegian also revealed that he hopes to win against the 36-year-old someday. Their current head-to-head record stands at 5-0 in favor of the Serb. Thus, watching him compete in the upcoming grass-court major will be interesting.