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Master against apprentice in the fight for the title at Roland Garros.
Rafael Nadal and Kasper Ruud will meet for the first time in Sunday’s league match in Paris, but that doesn’t mean the two don’t know each other.
The No.8 seed Ruud has been training at the Spanish academy in Mallorca since September 2018 and this connection makes Nadal particularly positive as he will claim a record 14th Roland Garros crown and a record 22nd Grand Slam title today.
“I think at the academy we were able to help him a bit during that time,” the Spaniard said after booking his place in the Roland Garros final on Sunday. But above all, as I always say, I love seeing a good person achieve their dreams. I’m happy for him. I’m happy for his mom and dad. I know them very well. They are a super healthy family and wonderful people. As always, I’m very happy when I see these great people succeed.”
For Ruud, meeting his childhood idol for the first time would have been an exciting experience in any setting, but the Norwegian admitted it was the highlight of his dream run in Paris over the past two weeks.
“It’s unbelievable… He’s the last player in the Big Three of the best players in the world that I’ve never played against,” Ruud said of Nadal after beating Marin Cilic on Friday to secure a place in the final of the first major tournament. . “So I think it’s the perfect moment and it was worth the wait. Finally playing him in a Grand Slam final will be a special moment for me. I hope it will be for him too. He played so many finals but at least At least this time he is playing with a student from his academy so hopefully it will be fun.
Nadal has long been considered one of the greatest players of all time, but the 36-year-old’s hunger for further Grand Slam success was stronger than ever in Paris. Arriving in the French capital, the Spaniard’s biggest concern was how his body would hold up after battling a chronic foot injury in a loss to Denis Shapovalov in Rome just over three weeks ago.
That didn’t stop him from going through several grueling battles before making it to the round of 32 at Roland Garros. Starting with routine victories over Jordan Thompson, Corentin Moutet and Botik van de Zandschulp, Nadal earned a five-set thriller against Felix Auger-Aliassim before earning a classic quarter-final victory over Novak Djokovic. Three hours on the pitch before arch-rival Alexander Zverev was knocked out in the semi-finals through injury took Nadal’s time on the pitch in his last three matches to 11:46 a.m., but the heavy workload is nothing new for the Spaniard.
“Physically I’m fine,” Nadal said in his press conference after the game against Zverev. “Usually my problem is not in the physical condition… Of course, today the conditions were very hot, very humid. I know from experience that when the conditions are like that, I suffer a little more in the fitness level.”
If Nadal can beat Ruud today, the 36-year-old will overtake Spaniard Andrés Gimeno as the oldest Roland Garros men’s singles champion in history.
The oldest men’s singles champions at Roland Garros:
Andrés Gimeno – 1972 – 34 years, 10 months
Rafael Nadal -2020 – 34 years, 4 months
Novak Djokovic – 2021 – 34 years, 1 month
Ken Rosewall – 1968 – 33 years, 7 months
Frank Parker – 1949 – 33 years, 4 months
After winning a record 21st Australian Open title in January, Nadal will have two Grand Slam crowns ahead of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer on Sunday. The Serb and the Swiss each have 20 major trophies. Nadal’s success also marks the first time he has managed to double the Australian Open-Roland Garros in the same calendar year.
If he wins, Nadal will equal current Tour leader Carlos Alcaraz in terms of the number of titles in 2022, having won trophies in Melbourne and Acapulco as well as triumph at the Australian Open. A 111-3 win-loss record at Roland Garros certainly means the Spaniard will be hard to stop as he aims to write another story in Paris.
Unlike Nadal, who knew Philippe Chatrier’s court intimately, Ruud was already in uncharted territory during his quarter-final clash with Holger Rune. The Norwegian hadn’t made it past the fourth round of a Grand Slam before these two weeks in Paris, but the 23-year-old showed no signs of nervousness as he recovered from the first set loss to Marin Cilic in the semi-finals. .
Although Ruud’s longest game in the tournament was his first victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (3 hours 49 minutes), the Norwegian spent 18 hours and two minutes on the Parisian court, six minutes less than Nadal. .
After defeating Tsonga in four sets, the 23-year-old beat Emil Ruusuvuori, Lorenzo Sonego, Hubert Hurkach, Rune and Cilic to become the first Norwegian to reach a Grand Slam final.
Ruud can expect promising numbers as he aims to be the first man to beat Nadal in the final at Roland Garros. So far, the world No. 8 has landed 52 aces in the tournament to Nadal’s 13, and has also made more winners (259 vs 204) and fewer unforced errors (138 vs 166) than his opponent. In particular, Ruud’s forehand has become one of the most formidable weapons on the Tour and the Norwegian will need his strike if he is to break through Nadal’s defences.
Regardless of the result, Ruud will move up to 6th in the ATP rankings on Monday.
This season he has already won titles in Buenos Aires and Geneva, and reached the ATP Masters 1000 final for the first time in Miami in March.
If he can find a way to beat Nadal, it will be Ruud’s three successful seasons on clay. Since 2020, the Norwegian has won 66 matches on clay, 15 more than anyone on the Tour.
Most ATP Tour matches won on clay, 2020-22:
Casper Ruud – 66
Stefanos Tsitsipas – 51
Diego Schwartzman – 47
Novak Djokovic – 43
Albert Ramos Vinolas – 40
Ruud’s strong performances have earned him seven titles on clay, but he is yet to win a trophy above the ATP 250 level. However, even with Nadal’s unbeaten record on this surface, the Spaniard will be wary of Ruud. “For me, Kasper’s success is not a big surprise. Ruud is one of the candidates to win every clay tournament he participates in. It’s not surprising at all,” Nadal said.
Tennis. Roland Garros. The final. Nadal-Ruud. Direct
Source: Sport
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
