"He'll have his chance": Corretja believes it could be third time lucky for Ruud

Alex Corretja believes that Casper Ruud has an opportunity in the final of the 2023 French Open against Novak Djokovic.

The Norwegian will play his third Grand Slam final this Sunday, facing the 22-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, who aims to claim his 23rd trophy and surpass Rafael Nadal as the male player with the most Grand Slam titles.

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2023 French Open Roland Garros Men's Final Preview - Novak Djokovic v Casper Ruud

Ruud is in his third final of such caliber, with previous losses in last year's Roland Garros final against Rafael Nadal and the US Open final against Carlos Alcaraz. The former tennis player and current commentator discussed Ruud's chances in the final:

“Now he's back in the final. He's been working so hard and plays with a lot of top spin on his forehand. His backhand is high up and he's serving really well. He's returning far back, so it's very difficult to win points against him when he's on the court.

“He's got the momentum, physically he's very strong, mentally he's very stable these days and looks very focused,” Corretja said.

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Analysis: Casper Ruud's key to beating Novak Djokovic in the Roland Garros final

El noruego ha mostrado un excelente tenis a pesar que no muchos lo veían en la final, sin embargo en forma silenciosa ganó los seis partidos previos, incluidos rivales como Nicolas Jarry, Holger Rune y Alexander Zverev. Corretja recordó las finals que dispute en 2022:

“He had the chance to play against Rafa last year, but had no chance to win. Against Alcaraz at the US Open, he was playing very well, and this is the third time he's going to be there [Grand Slam final].

“He'll have his chance for sure, but playing against Novak is not easy, but he should feel that it's a nice opportunity. If you want to play Novak in a final of a slam, maybe the surface you're going to pick is Roland-Garros.”

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"Will win this tournament many times": Djokovic was full of praise for Alcaraz after unfortunate end to Roland Garros tie

Regarding the potential record that Djokovic could achieve, becoming the man with the most Grand Slam titles in history and surpassing his biggest rival Nadal:

“It's insane what he's doing because he's recovering from not playing too many tournaments in the year. In the clay season, he didn't play as many games as we thought he should,” he explained.

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💬 "I'm trying to play without pressure and not thinking too much." Casper Ruud's key to success ⤵️ #RolandGarros

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“But we pretty much felt that if he came here to Roland-Garros and he has the chance to play tough matches, as he did in the early rounds, I think it was perfect preparation for him to reach the semi-finals," Corretja said

“He's in such good shape, he's moving better; mentally you can see he had the momentum and also, he was hitting the ball pretty well and smoothly. He was also moving fast on the court, so it's going to be very difficult to beat him in the final because he's got experience.

“At the same time, he's got so much pressure on his back. But it seems like he knows how to deal with that,” he added.

The final between Ruud and Djokovic will be their fifth encounter, with all previous matches won by the Serbian player. In case of victory, Djokovic will regain the world No. 1 ranking and secure his coveted 23rd Grand Slam title.

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The moment Casper Ruud reached his 3rd Grand Slam Final. He shares a nice hug with Zverev at the net. The kindness & sportsmanship he exudes all the time makes him so easy to cheer for. Well done. 🇳🇴❤️

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