Two things to watch for in the Novak Djokovic-Casper Ruud French Open final
Third seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia will take on fourth seed Casper Ruud of Norway in the 2023 French Open final on Sunday, June 11.
Djokovic prevailed in an anti-climactic first semifinal against Carlos Alcaraz that saw the latter limp through the last two sets after giving the Serb a stiff fight in the first two. Ruud, meanwhile, made short work of Alexander Zverev in the second last-four clash.
The 24-year-old Norwegian has thus reached back-to-back finals at Roland Garros. However, he would like to perform better this time around than he did in the last year's final against Rafael Nadal, who won 6-3, 6-3, 6-0.
The ageless Serb, meanwhile, will start as the favorite to clinch his 23rd Grand Slam title. He has a great chance to overtake Nadal in terms of Grand Slam titles and thereby confirm his status as the greatest tennis player of all time, statistically.
In a way, Djokovic and Ruud have similar styles of play. Both like to wear their opponents out with their relentless and low-risk baseline game and quality defending.
On that note, let us take a look at two things to watch out for in the final:
#1. Djokovic is likely to engage Ruud in crosscourt backhand exchanges
The 36-year-old Serb possesses one of the most potent backhands on the tour. Hence, he would like to engage Casper Ruud in crosscourt backhand exchanges. The Serb could then go on to finish points with his down-the-line backhand to the open court.
Should the Norwegian decide to come up with crosscourt backhand slices, which he often does, it will give Djokovic the opportunity to finish points with his inside-in forehand.
The key for the Serb will be to make the Norwegian stretch towards his forehand side continuously. The tactic will not allow Ruud enough time to hit his forehand with power. As most of his opponents have found out, his forehand can be quite lethal.
#2. Ruud's down-the-line forehand might trouble the Serb
The equation changes if one talks about the crosscourt forehand exchanges. Third-ranked Djokovic has the tendency to play his crosscourt forehand frequently. However, that is not his most powerful shot and might just give the World No. 4 enough time to pull the trigger with his down-the-line forehand to the open court.
Ruud hits the down-the-line forehand from the deuce court and the inside-in forehand from the ad court with a lot of power, which might win him a lot of points.
Hence, the Serb should be careful while playing crosscourt backhand slices himself, as that would allow the Norwegian to unleash his inside-out forehands.