French Open 2023: When defending champion Rafael Nadal withdrew from the French Open, as many as eight players formed a list of potential winners of the Grand Slam title. Casper Ruud was also among those eight names. His concerning start to the 2023 season saw most write him off despite a title win on clay in Estoril Open. But the Norwegian player quietly upped his game to reach the second successive run to a Roland Garros final. The 24-year-old ousted the mighty tennis pro with his skills and grit.
Novak Djokovic, on the other hand, might set a new record for most Grand Slam titles after today’s match at Roland Garros. He currently shares the record of most Grand Slams with Rafael Nadal, with 22 titles. The world no.3 will now be eyeing the 23rd Grand Slam win besides also reclaiming the ATP World No.1 crown. Even at 36, the Serb has shown great fitness and will enter the final as the favourite to win the tournament.
Ahead of the big final on Sunday on Court Philippe Chatrier, let’s take a look at the head-to-head record, key stats and records in line for the match.
French Open 2023- Head-To-Head Record: Djokovic vs Ruud
It has been a lopsided rivalry so far between the two with Djokovic winning all four encounters without even losing a set. Two of them have been at ATP Finals and two others on clay in Rome.
Djokovic beat Ruud, 7-5 6-3 (Italian Open Semi-final 2020)
Djokovic beat Ruud, 7-6(4) 6-2 (ATP Finals Round-Robin 2021)
Djokovic beat Ruud, 6-4 6-3 (Italian Open Semi-final 2022)
Djokovic beat Ruud, 7-5 6-3 (ATP Finals Final 2022)
French Open 2023: How did Casper Ruud reach the 2023 French Open men’s final?
Ruud beat Elias Ymer in the first round: 6-4, 6-3, 6-2
Ruud beat Giulio Zeppieri in the second round: 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5
Ruud beat Zhang Zhizhen in the third round: 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-4
Ruud beat Nicolás Jarry in the fourth round: 7-6 (7-3), 7-5, 7-5
Ruud beat No. 6 Holger Rune in the Quarterfinals: 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
Ruud beat No. 22 Alexander Zverev in the Semifinals: 6-3, 6-4, 6-0
French Open 2023: Key stats on French Open
With a win over injured Carlos Alcaraz in the semis, Djokovic reached a record-equalling 34th Grand Slam final, levelling Chris Evert’s long-standing record. The next best player in men’s singles tennis is Roger Federer with 31 appearances followed by Nadal’s 30.
In 33 Grand Slam finals, the Serb owns a 22-11 record which is the second best among the Big Three with Nadal’s figure of 22-8 still leading the chart. Federer now stands third with a 20-11 record.
Seven of his finals have come in Paris where he has managed just two wins while going down four times. His previous two wins came in 2016 and 2021. This is also his seventh major final since 2021 where he has a staggering 6-1 record. His only loss came against Daniil Medvedev in the 2021 US Open.
With a win against Alexander Zverev, Ruud reached his third Grand Slam final in the last five events. He lost once against Nadal in Paris and another against Alcaraz in the 2022 US Open. He also became the first Scandinavian to reach back-to-back finals at Roland Garros since Robin Soderling in 2009 and 2010.
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