Disappointed but not dejected, the unfortunate finalist of Roland-Garros, Casper Ruud, acknowledged the superiority of his opponent in a press conference. “I think it is obvious that the match was played at 4-2 in the first set, analyzes the world number 4. I could have led 5-2. But it didn’t happen. And Novak (Djokovic) accelerated in the tie-break. He took a big lead and I couldn’t make up for it. I’m a little disappointed that I couldn’t hold on at the start of the second run. The third set was tight. I didn’t have many chances but I tried to keep my serve, stay in the game and see what happens. I feel like I’ve played it many times where it’s at its best version. He reads the game so well that it’s difficult to overtake him.
And to add, still more complimentary: “I gave it my all, but it wasn’t enough. You can see why he won 23 Grand Slams with the way he turned the first set around and rose to the occasion. He’s so smart… He’s played so many matches that he knows where he needs to step up.”
The discreet Norwegian lost once again in the final of a Grand Slam after defeats against Nadal (Roland-Garros 2022) and Alcaraz (US Open 2022). “The three players I faced, it was Rafa who broke, at the time, the record of 22 Grand Slams, then Carlos who was on fire in New York, and finally Novak, who broke 23. J ‘ve played against very difficult players. There may have been other players in the finals, including in recent years, who were maybe more…how shall I put it? No longer playable or beatable. Because these guys know what to do. I can’t sit back and make excuses, but let’s see what the future holds. I think that might be the most important final I’ve reached, honestly, because the first time around was, yeah, very cool. But here I kind of proved that what happened last year is not an isolated case. »
Statements taken at a press conference
