Ruud: "I am going to try to use the experience I have in Grand Slams and see where it takes me"

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Casper Ruud is facing a unique opportunity at Roland Garros 2026. The eliminations of Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic open up a range of new candidates, and the Norwegian is one of them. Although he came close to saying goodbye like the Italian and the Serbian after being two sets down against Tommy Paul, he reacted in time to take the victory by 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(4), 7-5. And now, he awaits Joao Fonseca.

In fact, he talked about the Brazilian in the press conference following his victory, in addition to the battle fought with Paul, where he saved two match points. While he did not shy away from his potential candidacy for the Roland Garros title.

Casper Ruud explained how he came back against Tommy Paul at Roland Garros 2026

It's hard to say exactly what the difference was. I think it was a few points, and the stats show that I capitalized on my break opportunities. I won all three break points I had, while he only converted two out of fourteen. That was unfortunate for him and perhaps lucky for me. But that's tennis. Sometimes it's a very cruel sport. Maybe that was the key to the match.

Physically fine despite almost 5 hours of play

"Honestly, I feel surprisingly well. Of course, towards the end of the match, you start to feel it. The weather cooled down a bit in the last sets, which helped, although it was still a very hot day. You try to get in as much liquid and energy into your body as possible. I think it will be very hot again tomorrow. I doubt I will even step on the court tomorrow, so I will try to make the most of the next 36 or 40 hours to recover as best as possible."

"That's the beauty of Grand Slams and having rest days. We try to use them to the fullest. Normally, you come here and have a light practice, but I think I will save all the energy I have for Sunday. The most important thing is that I have no pains. Now I need to see if I can recover well."

What were you thinking when you were down two sets and also facing break points against you?

"I felt that he was clearly superior in the first two sets. My serve kept me alive in the second set because he was dominating a lot, playing very aggressively, coming to the net, and making me uncomfortable. I couldn't find a rhythm with his serves. Until the third set, I hardly even got close to a break point. When I managed to break him early in that set, I think the dynamic changed a bit."

"These are the matches you train hard for. Being two sets down is not fun, but it's also an opportunity to come back. I kept repeating to myself constantly: 'one set at a time' and see what happens."

Anticipating a great battle against Fonseca

"He has already beaten top players and knows what it takes. Today he probably got the most important victory of his career. We are in similar situations: both coming back from two sets down and from very long matches. I will try to give him a good battle. Besides, he is a very nice guy, so I expect a great match," concludes Casper Ruud who presents his candidacy for the title of Roland Garros 2026.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Ruud: "Voy a intentar utilizar la experiencia que tengo en Grand Slams y ver hasta dónde me lleva"