Throughout his career, Casper Ruud has come up against some of the greats of the game, including each member of the ‘big three’.
He has faced each of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at tour-level competitions.
Ruud only played Federer once, having gone toe-to-toe with the Swiss Maestro in the third round of Roland Garros in 2019.
The Norwegian star has met both Nadal and Djokovic in Grand Slam finals, though, having lost to the two legends in the French Open title bout in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
Reflecting on his clashes with the Serb and the Spaniard, Ruud said there was a big difference in their approach to matches.
Casper Ruud discusses Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal
In an interview with Quality Shot Tennis, Ruud said: “I can go on forever, but I will just say that with Novak and Rafa, I played both at Roland Garros in the final.
“Novak felt more playable due to the fact that he doesn’t rip the ball with 40,000 RPMs (revolutions per minute) of spin, and his ball doesn’t feel as heavy as Rafa’s.
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“Rafa kind of just physically exhausts you, like, right from the beginning, because every shot is so heavy to kind of stand against, while Novak plays lower, he plays flatter, so you can actually hit the ball a little easier to Novak, but he’ll physically exhaust you at some point as well.
“But I just think that shock or that wave comes earlier with Rafa, and he lasts there. He just gives it to you from the first game.
“Novak is a little more… not slow-starting, but a little different, but yeah, they’re both incredible in their ways.”
Casper Ruud’s sole victory over Novak Djokovic
Ruud lost his one match with Federer and was defeated in both his clashes with Nadal, but he has managed to beat Djokovic before.
He was beaten by the 24-time Grand Slam champion in their first five meetings, three of which came on Ruud’s preferred surface of clay.
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However, at the 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters, Ruud finally opened his account in their head-to-head.
Ruud won 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 against Djokovic to advance to his second final at an ATP Masters 1000 tournament.
Despite the statement triumph in the semifinals against Djokovic, Ruud ultimately lost in the final against Stefanos Tsitsipas.
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