Casper Ruud picks match between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic as the one thing he would change in tennis

Casper Ruud has always maintained that Rafael Nadal has been his favorite player since childhood. The Norwegian is currently in Argentina's capital city, Buenos Aires, with the Spaniard for their South American exhibition tour, scheduled to begin today.

During a press conference the two players attended on Tuesday, the 23-year-old was asked about the one thing he has always wanted to change in the tennis world. After thinking for a few seconds, Ruud stated that he wished he could change the result of the 2012 Australian Open final, where his idol Nadal lost to Novak Djokovic in one of the most epic five-set thrillers.

"I think I can say for Rafa," Ruud said. "I wish I could change one result in the history of tennis and I don't know if he'll be angry or happy for me saying this. It's not the Roland Garros final this year because it was not a very close match but Rafa's Australian Open loss in 2012 against Novak."

The new World No. 3 added that he was probably more disappointed than the Spaniard himself.

"I was probably even sadder than himself because that was watching six hours of TV and hoping Rafa would win and then it was probably one of the best matches ever. I think for days, I was still sad about the loss for him and I still wish today that he could have won. This might bring back bad memories for him, but this is something I wish I could change and still believe," he added.

After sweating it out for five hours and 53 minutes in a memorable match, Djokovic finally downed Nadal 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-5 to win his fifth Grand Slam title. Both players were so tired at the end of the match that they could be seen squatting during the presentation ceremony and two chairs were immediately sent for them to sit on.

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Casper Ruud's 2022 season

Casper Ruud finishes the year as the World No. 3

Casper Ruud was placed in the eighth position in the ATP rankings at the start of the year and seven finals later, he finished as the third-ranked player. Although he won three ATP 250 tournaments in Buenos Aires, Geneva, and Gstaad, the 23-year-old failed to win big titles. Carlos Alcaraz beat him twice in the finals of the Miami Open and the US Open.

Ruud also faced straight-set defeats against Rafael Nadal in the French Open title match and against Novak Djokovic in the Nitto ATP Finals summit clash. His win-loss record stands at 51-22.

In a recent press conference, Ruud stated that he was disappointed to have lost crucial matches but was satisfied with his overall performance.

"It's been disappointing to end up losing these big finals. Overall if you gave me the offer to end the year at No. 3, play the finals that I played, on the 1st of January this year, I would probably sign the contract right away. No doubt about it. I've overachieved compared to my own mind, so I'm very happy about that," Casper Ruud said.