Casper Ruud revealed a classy gesture made by Novak Djokovic before his French Open semi-final against Alexander Zverev.
The Norwegian was due to face the 24-time Grand Slam champion in the quarter-finals, but he was forced to withdraw due to a knee injury.
Ruud sent out a tweet wishing Djokovic well after the Serbian had knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus.
Therefore the 25-year-old reached the last four of the clay court event for the third successive year having not played since his fourth round clash with Taylor Fritz on Monday.
Ruud would have played Djokovic for the seventh time, two months after their claiming his first win over the tennis legend at the Monte Carlos Masters.
What did Novak Djokovic say to Casper Ruud?
Before taking on Zverev, Ruud was interviewed by three-time French Open winner Mats Wilander. He told the Swede that received a text message from Djokovic which included the news that he would not be able to play their quarter-final.
“He texted me the other day just informed me that he was not going to be able to play, so that was a nice gesture, and he wished me luck,” the seventh seed told Eurosport.
“Novak is a great guy, great athlete, and he led the way for many young players and being a role model and he always takes time for other players.
“So I think in this aspect he’s great and everyone here including myself wishes him a speedy recovery. I hope he can be back soon, he’s always missed when he can’t play.”
Did Casper Ruud win his French Open semi-final against Alexander Zverev?
Though Ruud took the first set against Zverev in their semi-final encounter, the German turned the tables and secured a 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 victory.
He suffered from a stomach problem during the match and was unable to sustain his level as the fourth seed cruised to a four-set win.
After failing to reach his third consecutive French Open final a disappointed Ruud commented on his fitness issues.
“I don’t have the answers now, but I just [am] disappointed that it had to be today. Why couldn’t it be yesterday or day before when I had three days off?” he said post-match.
“So it was a bit unlucky. I was really looking forward to the match. In a way I started well, but yeah, I wasn’t able to keep it up, unfortunately.”
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