"At the end of the day, I can tell my grandkids that I played Rafael Nadal on Chatrier in the final" - Casper Ruud after losing 2022 French Open final
Casper Ruud ended up on the losing side of the 2022 French Open final, going down 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 to the King of Clay Rafael Nadal on Sunday.
Despite suffering a lopsided defeat in his maiden Slam final, Ruud remained upbeat about his campaign, highlighting how playing Nadal in a French Open final will remain one of the most memorable events of his career.
Ruud was in the stands when the Mallorcan lifted his eighth French Open title in 2013. Nine years down the line, Nadal was his opponent in the final.
This fact prompted a question from a journalist in the post-match press conference, where Ruud was asked if he enjoyed one of the days more than the other. The Norwegian replied that he "enjoyed both days" but stressed that he would remember playing a French Open final against Nadal for the rest of his career.
"Well, I enjoyed both days, but of course it was more fun to be there myself and play. Yeah, what can I say? This match will be something I will probably remember for the rest of my career," Casper Ruud said. "There are certain moments I think for everyone's career that you'll remember more than others, so this one will be high up on my list, biggest match I ever played."
"Like I have said many times before, he's a player I have watched on TV for the last 16, 17 years," he added. "So to be there myself and face him, it's a bit of a challenge as well but a very enjoyable one."
It never gets old 🏆
#RolandGarros | @RafaelNadal https://t.co/QrMdgRSq06
Ruud admitted that he would have liked to give the Mallorcan a tougher fight but shrugged off his defeat after having the honor of playing Nadal on Court Philippe-Chatrier in a Slam final.
"Yeah, of course I wish I could make the match closer and all these things, but at the end of the day I can hopefully one day tell my grandkids that I played Rafa on Chatrier in the final, and they will probably say, 'Wow, did you?' " Ruud said. "I will say, 'Yes.' I'm probably going to enjoy this moment for a long time."
"I think Rafael Nadal is the complete clay court player" - Casper Ruud
Casper Ruud was asked to elaborate on the difficulties of adjusting to Rafael Nadal's game during a Slam final. Admitting to the enormity of the situation, Ruud pointed out that Nadal's quality on clay is second to none.
"Yeah, it is difficult. Like we have seen for many years, I think he is the complete clay court player," Ruud said. "He has the perfect game for clay and obviously other surfaces as well. But here it's incredible."
Ruud, who often practices with Rafael Nadal at the latter's academy in Manacor, asserted that the Mallorcan's topspin is the most vicious on tour. Given that he has not trained with Nadal since last year, Ruud admitted that he found it difficult to contend with the spin on the Spaniard's shots.
"Plays with heaviness on the ball and topspin that is not the same as anyone else on the tour. And I have not actually practiced with Rafa since Toronto last year, so it has been quite some months," Ruud elaborated. "It was a bit challenging for me honestly today to get used to his topspin again. Today was, you know, sunny sometimes and the ball was quite bouncy. Took a little bit of time to get used to it, but I think I played fairly well in the first two sets."
King of Clay x 14 👑
@RafaelNadal remains undefeated in Paris finals, conquering Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 for a 14th title
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