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 was close to bidding farewell just like the Italian and the Serbian after being two sets down against Tommy Paul, he reacted in time to clinch the victory by 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(4), 7-5. And now, he awaits Joao Fonseca.
In fact, he spoke about the Brazilian in the press conference following his victory, as well as the battle fought with Paul, where he saved two match points. While he did not shy away from mentioning his potential title candidacy at Roland Garros.

Casper Ruud explained how he turned the tables on Tommy Paul at Roland Garros 2026
It's hard to say exactly what the difference was. I think it came down to 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 feeling good despite the almost 5-hour match
"Honestly, I feel surprisingly good. Of course, towards the end of the match, you start feeling it. The weather cooled down a bit in the later sets, which helped, although it was still a very hot day. You try to get as much liquid and energy into your body as possible. I think tomorrow will be very hot again. I doubt I will even step onto the court tomorrow, so I'll try to make the most of the next 36 or 40 hours to recover as best as I can."
"That's the beauty of the Grand Slams and having rest days. We try to make the most of them. Normally, you come here and have a light practice, but I think I'll save all the energy I have for Sunday. The most important thing is that I'm pain-free. Now, it's about seeing if I can recover well."
What were you thinking when you were two sets down and also facing break points against you?
"I felt like 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 feel uncomfortable. I couldn't find my rhythm with his serves. Up to 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 turn things around. I kept repeating to myself: 'one set at a time' and see what happens."
Expects a tough battle against Fonseca
"He has already beaten top players and knows what it takes. Today, he probably got the most important win of his career. We are in similar situations: both coming back from two sets down and from very long matches. I'll try to give him a good fight. Besides, he's a very nice guy, so I expect a great match," asserts Casper Ruud as he puts forth his candidacy for the Roland Garros 2026 title.
本新闻为自动翻译。您可以阅读原始新闻:Ruud: "Voy a intentar utilizar la experiencia que tengo en Grand Slams y ver hasta dónde me lleva"

