PARIS (VG) (Rud – Cilic 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2) Casper Ruud (23 years old) meets his great role model and greatest gravel player of all time Rafael Nadal (36 years old today) in the final of the tournament French Open on Sunday, after Norway’s Marin Cilic (33) was sent off the field.
Rudd was greeted with standing ovations when he was due to serve in the match nearly three hours later, and he did so ruthlessly. I sat the match ball with send. The adventure in Paris gets a final chapter. It’s called the Grand Slam final. Ruud, who has never advanced from the third round of the French Open, is now ready for a historic final in the history of Norwegian sport.
Yes, it was a great match for me. Marin was the best in the first set, I was very defensive. But then I played some of my best tennis this year, so I’m very happy, Rudd told the stadium spokesperson.
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Rudd praises Nadal before the final.
– He’s an excellent example of how to behave in the field. “He’s been my idol all my life,” Rudd said in the indoor court interview after the match.
The final begins on Sunday at 15.00, and will be shown on MAX and Discovery+.
I will do everything I can to win this match and I have trained against him many times before. He knows me and I know him. I’ve seen him on TV my whole life, and I know how good he is in finals. If I have any chance, I know I have to play my dream tennis and the best tennis I’ve ever played. I’m going to bed tonight and tomorrow and I believe in him, I dream of good punches and that he can go, says Rudd to Discovery+.
It didn’t help that Cilic has more grand semi-final experience, is 10 years older than him, or has won a Grand Slam before. Casper Rudd was the best in three sets of four.
Casper Rudd was absolutely brilliant in the third set, before and after a field storm demonstrated against climate change, and tied himself to the net and stopped the fight.
Because at Rod’s 4-1 position in the third set, a young lady suddenly entered the court who was caught in a tennis net by a steel wire around her neck. “We only have 1,028 days left,” she wrote on her T-shirt. The players and the referee left the field. She sat for several minutes, before the security men took her off the grid.
Rudd has met two of the Big Three in battle before, both Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, but this would be his first time playing against childhood champion Nadal. And it happens on the gravel in Paris where Nadal has already racked up 13 Grand Slam victories.
Nadal is the last of the “big three” I haven’t played against. This was perfect timing and was worth the wait. Playing against him in a Grand Slam final would be a special moment for me, and hopefully a little bit for him as well. He’s played in a lot, but now he’s playing against a student from his academy. Hopefully it’s fun, says Rudd, part of the “Rafael Nadal Academy”.
Cilic made several minor mistakes against his Norwegian opponent. Rod’s 3-1 position in the fourth set, the Croatian already had 50 unstressed fouls.
Perhaps the first set was marked by the nerves of the 23-year-old. The 33-year-old Croatian knows what it’s like to be in the semi-finals and finals. Although Rudd took an empty serve match, Cilic took charge. From 3 to 3 onwards, the set belonged to the 33-year-old with a height of 198 cm who took the first set 6-3.
Rudd gained an advantage in the second set, leading 3-1, 5-3 in the match. At 5-4, Cilic had a 40-0, but Rudd combined to serve himself, playing a long ball straight down the line, before serving. Then the Norwegian Cilic played quite unusually and faired 40-40. Then Rudd offered another service. Before throwing another beautiful ball on the goal line. Cilic was just watching. Thus, the score was 1-1 in groups.
Rudd had met Cilic twice before Friday’s semi-final, and the 23-year-old from Snaroya added three wins in three matches on Friday.
The win means Rudd will now climb to sixth in the world rankings after the French Open. He will not advance further if he wins the final.
Rudd also took home NOK 11.11 million in prize money for last place.
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It was dramatic in the second semi-final match between Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev earlier on Friday. Zverev climbed very ugly towards the end of the second set after three hours of play. The German left the stadium crying in a wheelchairHe got back on crutches and thanked himself. After the match, VG Nadal asked about Rudd:
It wasn’t quite full at the main Philippe Chatrier. There is room for 15,000 spectators. About 13,000 saw Rod against Selic.
Cilic and Rudd played the first semi-final of their careers in Paris on Friday night. The more experienced Croatian previously played the French Open quarter-finals. Facts from Opta showed losses against Stan Wawrinka in 2017 and against Juan MartÃn del Potro the following year.
Rudd has played to his ninth finish on the gravel in the past three seasons. He’s the player with the most victories on gravel in recent years, one win over Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Prior to the semi-finals, Rudd has won 65 gravel matches since 2020, 14 more than anyone else, and Stefanos Tsitsipas has 51 Opta-record numbers.
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