Opinion
It’s no secret that this year’s French Open finalist Casper Ruud didn’t have the best start to 2023.
2022 was a groundbreaking year for the Norwegian, where he made the finals of Roland Garros, the US Open, Miami and the ATP Finals and reached a career high ranking of No.2 in the world.
Coming into the Australian summer, he was expected to continue his good form, however it was anything but the case.
Early losses down under followed him to the US at Indian Wells and Miami and he didn’t put together back-to-back wins until he reached the European clay in April.
His form as a top player was widely criticised by tennis fans.
Although this was a very poor start to the year, his form since then had been underrated coming into the French Open.
He was barely mentioned as a title contender, despite being the fourth seed and having near identical results as he did in 2022.
Ruud’s 2022 v 2023 form
Before making the final in Paris last year, Casper’s European clay court form was:
-250 title win in Geneva
-Semi-final of Rome 1000 Masters
-Quarter-finals of Munich and Barcelona
-Early losses in Monte Carlo and Madrid
And this year’s form has been:
-250 title win in Estoril
-Semi-final of Rome 1000 Masters
-Quarter-final of Geneva
-Early losses in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Barcelona
The results are nearly identical and interestingly the win-loss on European clay leading into the French Open was exactly the same: 11 wins, five losses.
Many pundits forget that Ruud was struggling leading into Roland Garros last year and it’s actually something he has done consistently before big results.
Heading into the US Open last year, he lost his first match in Cincinnati to Ben Shelton (then ranked No.229).
His form was woeful leading up to the ATP Finals where he had just two wins and four losses in Asia and European indoor tournaments.
Ruud will be hoping to deny Novak Djokovic a 23rd Grand Slam title (Photo by Fabien Boukla ATPImages/Getty Images)
So, what does this mean for his French Open chances?
Casper had a forgiving draw until the quarter-finals that gave him time to build confidence without being under any real pressure.
Ruud won his quarter-final over Holger Rune in four sets, which was exactly the same result as 2022, but the Dane is a much better (and higher ranked) player than last year.
His take-down of 22nd seed Zverev, a similarly ranked player as his 2022 semi-final opponent Marin Cilic, was far more dominant than many expected.
Like last year’s final against Rafael Nadal, he now faces a modern day tennis legend in Novak Djokovic, who is going for his 23rd slam title.
He has played Novak on four occasions, losing each match in straight sets, although they have yet to meet at a Grand Slam.
It does look to be an uphill battle to take the trophy, but Casper has clearly turned his year around and, importantly, defended his 2022 points.
Although he may be the underdog going into Sunday’s Final, there is one thing we’ve already learnt from this fortnight in Paris: don’t rule out Ruud.
Whether it’s aces or races, try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp for great odds and a great punting experience. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
Alex de Minaur has missed out on the chance of a lifetime to beat Rafael Nadal on clay in successive tournaments, blown away by…
The Spaniard scores first Top 20 win since November 2022, and reversed the result of a few weeks ago where the Australian came out…
Former Wimbledon champion, double grand slam winner and Australian Open finalist Garbine Muguruza has announced her retirement from tennis at the age of 30.…
Rafael Nadal has hailed the brilliance of Alex de Minaur, calling him "a great player" after the Australian forced the Spanish legend to say…
The clay season promises to be one of high level and tight margins. With the Monte Carlo open just around the corner, it will…
In incredible scenes, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz's quarter-final clash with Alexander Zverev at Indian Wells was halted abruptly due to a "bee invasion." Less…
