Casper Ruud denies getting demoralized by Rafael Nadal in the tunnel ahead of FO 2022 clash
Casper Ruud played down the impact of Rafael Nadal's high-intensity warm-up routine in the tunnel before the duo took the court ahead of the final of the 2022 Roland Garros.
Nadal is known to be very agile and active while warming up in the tunnel ahead of his games. The Spaniard's tunnel routine is said to intimidate his opponents before they enter the court. In Netflix's tennis documentary 'Break Point,' Nadal was seen sprinting up and down the tunnel, right past Ruud, as both the men were getting ready to enter the court.
While the Norwegian eventually lost to Nadal in Paris, 6-3, 6-3, 6-0, he did not attribute his rival's activity in the tunnel to his under-par performance. Speaking in a YouTube video for the ATP Tour, where stars of Netflix's tennis documentary 'Break Point' looked back on the highlights from the series, the current World No. 4 said that seeing Nadal going through his warm-up did not faze him as he has seen the 14-time Roland Garros champion go through the same routine many times.
"I mean, I've seen it hundreds of times before it wasn't really a surprise," Ruud said.
Casper Ruud dismissed the fan theory that he lost the final before even stepping on the court due to Nadal's overwhelming presence in the tunnel. Ruud countered by pointing out that the same fans would have lauded his calm demeanor if he would have lifted the coveted trophy that day.
"And you know, people saying that, you know, I already lost the match before even going on the court might be true. But you know if I had won, it would be like Casper won because he stayed cool," he remarked.
Ruud also revealed that he spent half an hour with Nadal in the gym before heading for the match. The Norwegian said that seeing Nadal in the tunnel did not make a difference.
"We were both in the gym for 30 minutes, warming up, running and doing everything. So, I was sweating under my sweater and ready to go so I mean knew it was going to pull it out and do it," he said.
While the 24-year-old admitted that Nadal trounced him in the final, he insisted that it was not because of the time he spent with him in the tunnel.
"Obviously, he killed me and destroyed me but I don't think it was because of those steps in the locker room," Casper Ruud said.
Casper Ruud hopes to attain Grand Slam glory at the 2023 Roland Garros
Casper Ruud reached the finals of two Grand Slams in 2022. The first one was at Roland Garros, where lost to Rafael Nadal. The second came at the US Open, where he was bettered by Carlos Alcaraz in four sets, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(1), 6-3.
Ruud has been ranked as high as World No. 2 but has yet to clinch a Grand Slam title. He will be hoping to change that at the 2023 Roland Garros, where he is defending finals points from last year.
The Norwegian will definitely enter this year's second Grand Slam as one of the favorites due to the fact he has won 9 of his 10 titles on the ATP tour on the clay.
Casper Ruud will be up against other top 10 players who are in red-hot form on clay, including Carlos Alcaraz (2023 Barcelona and Madrid champion), Andrey Rublev (2023 Monte Carlo champion), and Holger Rune (2023 Madrid champion).