Rafael Nadal commends Casper Ruud for his remarkable run at French Open 2023

Rafael Nadal has showered praise on Casper Ruud on the latter's impressive run at the 2023 French Open.

The Norwegian reached his third Grand Slam final, beating Alexander Zverev and Holger Rune, but lost to Novak Djokovic in the final in straight sets.

Ruud, the fourth seed, put up a spirited fight against Djokovic, the new World No. 1, but could not stop the Serb from winning his 23rd Major title and surpassing Nadal’s tally of 22. Djokovic prevailed 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-5 in three hours and 13 minutes on Sunday, June 11.

The Spanish icon, who withdrew from the tournament due to an injury, shared a photo of Ruud on his Instagram story and wrote:

“Bravo Casper. Another great Roland Garros. You are a great player and a great person! Tough loss but anyway amazing run.”

Instagram story

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Rafael Nadal lauds Novak Djokovic after historic French Open triumph

Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic received warm praise from his long-time rival Rafael Nadal after winning the 2023 French Open.

The Serb faced Casper Ruud in the final on Sunday and won in three tight sets. He became the leader in the Grand Slam race for the first time in his career, after being behind Nadal and Roger Federer for around 15 years.

The Spaniard quickly posted a message on Twitter to congratulate him. He said that winning 23 Slams was something that seemed impossible till a few years ago, and that Djokovic had done it.

“Many congrats on this amazing achievement, Novak Djokovic. 23 is a number that just a few years back was impossible to think about, and you made it! Enjoy it with your family and team!” he wrote.

Djokovic became the first man in history to win all four Grand Slam titles at least three times. The Serb is now equal with Serena Williams for the most Majors won by tennis players in the Open Era.

With Williams retired, Djokovic will likely end his career as the sole leader of that list and establish himself as the most successful player in tennis.

He also became the World No. 1, thanks to his title run at Roland Garros. Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev moved down one spot each to No. 2 and No. 3 positions respectively.

Nadal also congratulated Iga Swiatek on her 2023 French Open triumph. Swiatek defeated Karolina Muchova on Saturday, June 10, to win her third French Open title, increasing her Grand Slam tally to four.