Casper Ruud has always shown prowess on clay, but against players like Novak Djokovic, he has always fallen short. But not on Saturday as he took down the World No.1 in stunning fashion to reach the final of the
Monte-Carlo Masters where he will face Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Losing five previous meetings to Djokovic, he found a way this time winning 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 and it was akin to a musician playing with the musician that they had on posters on their wall in that Ruud said it is something that he can tell the grandkids and kids about in the future. He also lauded the physicality and longevity of Djokovic's tennis.
"It's fantastic. You know, it's, in my eyes, one of the all-time players to try to beat. Today I was able to do it. Something I can remember for the rest of my life and tell hopefully my kids in the future and my grandkids when I'm getting old that, you know, I beat Novak one time at least," Ruud said in his post-match press conference.
"Obviously I hope I can play more times before -- you know, no one knows how long he plans to play for, but obviously he's getting older, but he's still physically in good shape and playing fantastic tennis. But it's always fun to play against him, because, you know, it's one of the toughest challenges in our sport. I'm very super proud and happy to overcome it today," he added.