"Impossible task I think for any player, I'm happy that it's not Rafa on clay" - Casper Ruud relieved at not facing Rafael Nadal in 2022 US Open final

It did not take long for Casper Ruud to reach his second Grand Slam final, just months after reaching his maiden Major final at the 2022 French Open. Ruud, who will play in his first-ever hardcourt Grand Slam final on Sunday at the US Open, is relieved, to say the least, not to face Rafael Nadal at the French Open in his second Grand Slam final.

Ruud, who was one of the best performers during the claycourt season which concluded at the French Open, lost 3-6, 3-6, 0-6 in the Roland Garros final to Nadal, who won his 14th title at the claycourt Major.

The fact that his second experience of a Grand Slam final is not against the Spaniard in Paris leaves Ruud a lot more confident going into Sunday's US Open final. The Norwegian highlighted the challenge of facing Nadal at the French Open during a US Open press conference after his semifinal win against Karen Khachanov.

"Yeah, I mean, Roland Garros, the final, he obviously gave me a good beating," Casper Ruud said when asked whether he feels more confident ahead of his second Major final.

"After the final I said, If I ever reach one again, I hope it is not Rafa on the other side of the court in Roland Garros because it's sort of an impossible task I think for any player. I'm happy that it's not Rafa on clay," he added.

Rafa 🤝 Casper
playing on Slam Sundays in '22 https://t.co/KGJK0Qtx1e

He is not entirely certain whether the French Open experience has left him better prepared mentally ahead of the US Open final. While he is hopeful of the same, he hinted that he will only get his answer when he walks out onto the iconic Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday against either Carlos Alcaraz or Frances Tiafoe.

Casper Ruud also highlighted the added elements that come with being part of a Grand Slam final.

"I hope it can have prepared me a little bit. At least I know a little bit what I'm facing when I'm stepping on the court, seeing the trophy on the back of the court, seeing tons of celebrities. Even in Roland Garros, there was royal families there watching. That was a little bit new experience for me. I hope I can be more ready for that on Sunday," he said.

Casper Ruud knows chances for a Grand Slam 🏆 don't come easy.

He'll get his second shot in 2022 on Sunday. https://t.co/eMYNS5E3gY

"Goal was to try to reach one quarterfinal during the year" - Casper Ruud exceeds own expectations in 2022

Casper Ruud shed light on his mindset after the end of the 2021 season and before the start of the 2022 season, revealing that he has certainly overshot his expectations this year at the Grand Slam level.

Ruud's best result at the Majors last year was a 4th round appearance at the Australian Open. Going into the 2022 season, he set a goal of reaching just one Grand Slam quarterfinal.

Of course, the 23-year-old would have gladly welcomed anything more, and he did a lot more than reach just one Major quarterfinal in 2022. During the press conference, he opened up about his 2021 season and how it affected his mindset ahead of this season.

"In terms of Grand Slams the goal was to try to reach one quarterfinal during the year. Last year it was a bit of a disappointment in the slams for me. Everything was going so well other than the slams. I reached semifinals, quarterfinals or even better in almost every ATP event I played last year, which was like all about stability...In the slams I wasn't able to do as well as I hoped."

"Coming into this year, it was a big year to reach further in the slams. So quarterfinals was for me a realistic goal I felt like when I finished the year last year," Casper Ruud expressed.

Just your basic 55-shot rally to clinch the first set.

#USOpen https://t.co/sVwr7rYXj7

The World No. 7 revealed that his superb run at the 2022 French Open was certainly the turning point in terms of his self-belief at the Grand Slam level.

"I was able to bounce back very good in French Open which gave me confidence, I guess, more self-belief that I can also reach far in the slams. I think I also learned to play best-of-five sets better than I was able to do last year," Ruud added.

A semifinal victory for Tiafoe over Alcraraz will automatically confirm Casper Ruud's rise to the ATP World No. 1 spot. If Alcaraz wins the semifinal and faces Ruud in the US Open final, the winner takes it all.