Casper Ruud, Norway’s rising tennis star, recently opened up about the unforgiving lessons he learned from facing two of tennis’s most fierce competitors, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, in back-to-back French Open finals. Speaking on the Nothing Major podcast, Ruud admitted he had held a glimmer of hope against Nadal in the 2022 final, given the Spaniard’s ongoing battle with a severe foot injury. Yet, despite Nadal taking painkillers and undergoing daily anesthesia, Ruud was swiftly dispatched in a crushing 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 defeat.
Reflecting on the humbling experience, Ruud revealed, “Against Nadal, with his foot injury, I was pretty optimistic. I came in with confidence, not feeling too much pressure. But the match started, and I got broken in the first game—that’s it.” Ruud’s realization hit hard: facing Nadal on the clay at Roland Garros was like stepping into a lion’s den, where even injury couldn’t dampen Nadal’s relentless drive for victory.
The following year in 2023, Ruud faced Djokovic, who was fighting to clinch his 23rd Grand Slam title. The Norwegian conceded, “Could it be harder – can you find more motivated players in the history of the game?” For Ruud, these finals were both career milestones and brutal wake-up calls to the fierce determination it takes to conquer tennis’s elite.
