Casper Ruud downplays negative influence of Novak Djokovic win in Monte-Carlo final defeat - "I thought today is a day I'm going to try to win"

Casper Ruud has opened up about what he felt like facing Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Monte-Carlo Masters final. This comes after he ousted World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the semis of the prestigious ATP Masters 1000 tournament.

Ruud, despite being a clay court specialist, struggled against Tsitsipas, who dominated the first set to clinch it 6-1. The Norwegian showed some steely resolve in the second set, but ultimately fell short as Tsitsipas won it 6-4.

Following the conclusion of the match, Ruud was asked at the press conference if facing Djokovic in the semis had any effect on his performance in the final. The Norwegian said that his match against the World No. 1 did not affect his performance against Tsitsipas too much. However, he did point out that the conditions he encountered proved challenging.

"Not really, but, you know, it was obviously a tough match with Novak yesterday. Today honestly was the first match that I played kind of during the day in these hot conditions. Honestly was a bit different, because when the sun goes down, you're playing in the evening, it's not as fast and bouncy as it was today. So it was a little bit to adjust to the condition and the speed of the court," Ruud said.

The 2023 French Open finalist also said that despite the environmental factors, emotionally, he was 'ready' and believed that he could defeat Tsitsipas. However, he also admitted to not being good enough when it mattered the most.

"Emotionally, yeah, I was ready. I woke up today and thought, you know, today is a day I'm going to try to win a big title. Just wasn't able to perform when I came on court," Ruud added.

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"We cannot go back in time" - Casper Ruud

Casper Ruud (L) and Stefanos Tsitsipas (R) at the 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters

In September 2022, Ruud found himself ranked World No. 2 on the back of a then-ongoing season that saw him finish runner-up at that year's French Open and the US Open as well.

Since then though, the Norwegian's form has ebbed and flown, and he has often been unable to get past the biggest names in the game. For instance, in the final of the French Open last year, he was easily brushed aside by Djokovic.

Following his loss to Tsitsipas in the Monte-Carlo Masters final, Ruud reflected on how close he was to becoming World No. 1.

"We cannot go back in time, but one year and a half ago, like you said, I was maybe not a few points but quite close to winning or I played at least the final in US Open and was fairly close to become World No. 1, like you said. That year for me was fantastic. 2023 was a bit of a disappointment compared to 2022, but coming into 2023 I was prepared for, you know, it's going to be a really tough year because I have a lot of results to try to defend, and hopefully you always want to do better but it's not always easy," Ruud said.

The Norwegian came close to winning the Los Cabos Open this year. However, he lost to Jordan Thompson in the final.