Casper Ruud is into the second round at Roland Garros, although it was far from an easy match for the former finalist.
Although, at one stage, it certainly threatened to be.
Having established a healthy lead over his opponent, Roman Safiullin, the match was completely in Ruud’s control. The first two sets were his, and he was ahead in the third too.
However, playing in the scorching Parisian heat had taken its toll, and Casper Ruud paid the price.
In the end, he somehow managed to return from the brink to book his spot in the next round, and actually credited Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner for their help in motivating him.
Casper Ruud credits Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner for helping him win yesterday
Speaking to the press afterwards, Ruud confirmed that he had suffered from heatstroke.
Having been forced to compete in 33C temperatures, that’s hardly surprising.
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However, what was surprising is the fact that Ruud actually explained how the world’s top two players inspired him to battle through and secure the victory, despite neither being present on the day.
The 27-year-old claimed: “I thought of Jannik and Carlos this year at Australia when they — Jannik, in particular, when he was struggling in the heat. Then it cooled off with the roof closing, and he was able to regain energy. A little bit the same with Carlos in the semi-final with Sascha. He looked pretty dead for a while and then lost fourth and fifth, I believe, and then was — no, sorry, third and fourth, and then somehow regained and came back in the fifth.
“So, you know, there are some things you think out there, and today that worked for me, yeah.”
Ruud has been backed as a dark horse to win Roland Garros this year, but a win like this could leave a huge physical toll on his body going forward.
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It was incredible to watch Ruud’s match slip away from him, as he seemingly fell off a cliff physically.
From being so dominant and in control, leading the match 6-2 7-6, 5-2, he suddenly found himself with the scores tied at one set all, with Safiullin claiming the fourth set by a 6-0 margin.
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Alas, that break seemed to be just what the Norwegian needed to rest and recuperate, and he came back out in the fifth ready to return to his best.
Speaking afterwards, Ruud admitted: “It felt like it was a bit of a kind of heatstroke feeling. I experienced something similar some years ago when I played in Washington DC and I had to retire in the third set because I had that – that’s the only time I had that same feeling as I had today in the fourth set where I felt at times really dizzy, really tired and walking around like a zombie almost.”
He will face Hamad Medjedovic next at Roland Garros.
