The Norwegian world No 15 survived a tense, attritional battle against Britain’s Jack Draper to win the Madrid Open, his first Masters 1000 crown, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 in two hours and 29 minutes.

It marks a significant breakthrough for the 26-year-old, who has twice previously come up short in finals at this level, first at the 2022 Miami Open against Carlos Alcaraz and then in Monte Carlo last spring, where he was undone by Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Ruud failed to win a set on either of those occasions, but his resilient win over Draper means he has now racked up a dozen title wins on the red dirt since 2020 – three more than Alcaraz, the reigning French Open champion, who stands second in the list with nine. 

Better yet, for a player who has also lost two finals at Roland Garros and one each at the US Open and ATP Finals, Ruud finally has his hands on one of the game’s bigger prizes.     

“I know, based on the last years that I’ve had on tour, how tough it is to do well at the biggest tournaments, and I’ve never been able to get over the finish line as a champion,” he said. “But today I was able to, and this week here in Madrid, so extremely happy and proud, of course, that I was able to stay focused in the tournament.”

Draper did not make that task easy, and in the early stages it seemed more likely that the high-flying 23-year-old would claim his second Masters 1000 title of the season, becoming the first Briton to win at this level on hard courts and clay since Andy Murray, than that Ruud would finally break his big-match hoodoo.

Revelling in the quicker conditions in Madrid, where the altitude of about 650 metres above sea level ensures the ball is swifter through the air than at other clay-court events, Draper used his heavy southpaw serve and heavy forehand to good effect to establish a 5-3 lead. 

It is an approach that has served the 23-year-old well over a fortnight in which he has seen off Tallon Griekspoor, Matteo Berretini, Tommy Paul, Arnaldi and Lorenzo Musetti, all players with an ostensibly superior clay-court pedigree. 

But as Ruud elevated his level, particularly on the return of serve, Draper’s form dipped, prompting the loss of four straight games and a furious outburst at the changeover. Draper can nonetheless take much from his sojourn in the Spanish capital, where he has demonstrated that he can prosper on his least favoured surface. He will arrive in Rome next as the new world No 5, one place clear of Novak Djokovic.

“I knew I was good on the clay,” said Draper, who claimed the Indian Wells title seven weeks ago. “I had a couple of really tight losses last year, and I just needed to get my foot in the door somewhere to show that I’m able to compete to a really high level on this surface.

“I think this week has shown that, to myself and others. The biggest positive I’m taking away is the fact that I’m still learning how to move and play on this surface, and I’m right there. I’m competing with the best clay courters, the best guys on this surface in the world.”

Ruud certainly belongs in that category. The Norwegian rebounded impressively from a courageous second-set fightback from Draper and grew in stature down the stretch, threatening an early break and averting danger on his own delivery before seizing the initiative in the fifth game. Striking his sledgehammer forehand with unshakable conviction, he would not be caught, holding to love to claim a cathartic victory.

“This was my seventh big final, if you count them all,” said Ruud. “So seven is a lucky number, I guess. It was worth the wait in the end. I’ve never really been too close in any of the finals when I look back. I’ve lost the majority of them in straight sets. 

“But when I lost the second set today, I was a bit frustrated. Jack really stepped up in the end of serve in that second set. I felt like I was in a good position, it was 7-5, 3-2, and then suddenly, boom, 3-6. But I told myself, ‘Try to stay positive.’ 

“If you had been offered at the beginning of the week that you would play the third set for the trophy, you would probably take it.

“I always dreamed about winning tournaments like this, or grand slams, or becoming world No 1, and I’ve been fairly close.

“I’ve tried to learn from that and think that one day there will come another opportunity, and maybe I can seize it. I guess that was the key to the victory today.”

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That became apparent behind the scenes at the ATP Finals in Turin where, in the moments before Alcaraz’s opening group match against Casper Ruud, Ferrero turned to the 25-year-old Norwegian and fixed him with a lingering stare. 

If it was an attempt to unnerve the opposition, it could hardly have failed more comprehensively. The imperturbable Ruud looked up long enough to notice he was being eyeballed but, once the action started, he did not look back, stunning an out-of-sorts Alcaraz 6-1, 7-5 to claim his first win in five meetings with the Spanish third seed. 

Having fended off a pair of early break points, Ruud, a finalist at the season-ending championships two years ago, rapidly seized control of the contest, reeling off five straight games to seal the opening set in just 35 minutes.

If that defied the predictions of most pundits, normal service appeared to be restored when Alcaraz swept into a 5-2 second-set lead. But worse was to come for the four-time grand slam champion as Ruud, who arrived in northern Italy with just two wins since the US Open, defied the form book with another extraordinary five-game run that he hailed as a potential catalyst for a strong end to the season.

“This year I’m coming into the tournament with probably the least confidence of all the players in terms of match wins and my recent form, especially on indoor hard courts,” said Ruud.  “It has not been easy to find match wins at all for me; I’ve been joking, saying that maybe I can save them all for this week.

 “I’m not full of confidence, I think that’s been showing in the last weeks. A match like today might be able to change it. We’re at the end of the season, so there aren’t going to be that many more tournaments coming up. If I can finish on a strong note here, I’m going to be really happy.”

Ruud’s first win over a top-three opponent on a hard court was helped by an error-strewn performance from his opponent. Alcaraz finished the afternoon with 34 unforced errors and admitted afterwards that he had felt the effects of an illness he picked up after returning to Murcia following his loss to Ugo Humbert at the Paris Masters last month.

“A few days before coming here, I got sick at home,” said Alcaraz. “The days that I was practising here, I was feeling OK. Not pretty good, but OK, I could play. I could feel that I can get into the rallies in practice.

“Obviously, the matches are totally different. But today I didn’t feel well. In the morning, I felt uncomfortable in the stomach. After long rallies today, I didn’t feel well. I don’t want to say [this], because I don’t want to sound like an excuse – but if I feel bad, I feel bad. It is what happened today.”

Whatever his physical state, however, Alcaraz is still Alcaraz, and Ruud needed to have his wits about him throughout in order to claim his 50th win of the season. The world No 7 showed courage and resilience to survive three break points in the fourth game of the opener, twice outlasting Alcaraz from the baseline and then slotting away a backhand volley before some fine serving propelled him to a vital hold.

As Ruud acknowledged, his task was made none the easier by his awareness that Alcaraz was struggling physically, knowledge he did his utmost to exploit.

“I knew he was dealing with a bit of a cold, Carlos, I’ve seen him snuffling around, always with a tissue for his nose,” said Ruud. “That’s a sign that physically he won’t be necessarily at 100%, and of course that’s sad, and that’s not good for him, but it’s also at the same time part of the game. 

“I knew it coming in, I tried to make him play rallies and did my best, but it’s not easy, because when you know someone is not 100% maybe you get stressed yourself and think, ‘Oh, this is a big chance for me to maybe win.’ So I just tried to stay in my world, in the moment.”

A key moment came with Alcaraz served for the second set at 5-3, Ruud pulling off a magical topspin lob to bring up two break points, the first of which he converted after once again out-steadying the struggling Spaniard.

In the evening match, second seed Alexander Zverev saw off Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-4. 

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This time, Alcaraz was ready to suffer, ready to grasp the opportunity that eluded him last summer. With his 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory, he did exactly that, becoming the youngest man in history to reach grand slam finals on each of the game’s three surfaces, after winning the US Open on the hard courts of Flushing Meadows in 2022 and prevailing on the grass of Wimbledon’s Centre Court last summer. 

It is an impressive achievement, but not one on which he intends to dwell. Not with a final to play on Sunday against Alexander Zverev, who later defeated an ailing Casper Ruud in four sets. 

Alcaraz recalled afterwards how he used to run home from school to watch Roland Garros. Now he wants to add his own name to the rich tradition of Spanish success in Paris; to stand alongside the likes of Rafael Nadal, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Carlos Moya.

“It’s something great, breaking new records for me is great,” said Alcaraz of his multi-surface milestone. “Before the final, it’s something that I really don’t want to think about, but obviously that means that I’m playing good tennis on every surface. That is something that I really wanted to do when I started on the tour, so it’s a great feeling. But right now I don’t want to think about it.”

The same focus was apparent against Sinner, who set a blistering early pace, suffocating Alcaraz with his depth and accuracy off the ground to reel off the first four games of the afternoon. Two days after Djokovic’s withdrawal from the tournament confirmed his ascent to world No 1 when the new ranking list is published next week, the 22-year-old Italian seemed intent on marking the occasion in style. With nine games played, Alcaraz had held serve just once.

Sinner’s level had to drop eventually and, as it did, Alcaraz gradually began to find his customary fluency and range. Forehands that had flown out or careered off his frame in the early stages began to find their mark. As his serve began to bite, so the winners started to flow: he produced 13 in the second set, to just three from Sinner. Yet there was greater margin and consistency, too, Alcaraz increasing his net clearance by applying heavier topspin to his groundstrokes before pulling the trigger when the right ball presented itself.   

The lopsided nature of the first two sets epitomised the pattern of the afternoon. For all the buzz surrounding the ninth meeting between the pair, it was not quite the classic many had anticipated. Nor was it tennis on fast forward, in the mould of their US Open quarter-final of two years ago – partly because clay promotes a more attritional style of play, but mainly because the two men rarely produced their best at the same time. 

It was a match of fits and starts, never more so than in the third set, where Sinner received treatment for cramp in his right arm and both legs, yet managed to come out on top regardless as Alcaraz curiously failed to go for the jugular. That bucked the wider trend of the contest, which was ultimately determined by Alcaraz’s ability to find inspiration at the key moments. 

“The key was that I took my chances,” said Alcaraz. “The break points that I had, I took.”

The final game of the fourth set, in which Alcaraz produced a magical lob and Sinner a horrendous miss, was a case in point. Having earned the first break point of the set with a rally of patient aggression, Alcaraz seized the opportunity, pulling Sinner wide before steering a backhand into the open court. 

A similar blend of belligerence and brilliance earned the Spaniard a decisive break in the second game of the decider. Having established a foothold in the game with some diligent rallying, Alcaraz produced an extraordinary running pass at deuce, prodding an acutely angled backhand for a winner, before a thumping forehand sealed the deal. In all, Alcaraz converted six of his 10 break points, while Sinner won just six from 14. 

“For sure, the sets he won, he played better on the important points,” said Sinner. “I think that was the key.” 

Zverev later defeated Casper Ruud, a finalist for the past two years, to reach the second major final of his career and his first at Roland Garros. Ruud, whose level dipped after an encouraging start, was hampered by a stomach problem as he fell to a 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 defeat. 

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Facing a break point that would have given Jannik Sinner a 4-1 lead in the deciding set, Tsitsipas sent a second serve long, only for the match officials to miss the call. The Greek, who last reached a final eight months ago, went on to win the point, the game and the match; Sinner, the best player in the world this year by a distance, was left to ruminate on what might have been. Both men agreed the missed call was a turning point.

“I think the match would have turned out completely different if that would have been called out,” said Tsitsipas. “It would have been pretty bad for me if that call was made.”

But while luck is one thing, what you do with it is quite another. On Sunday, Tsitsipas made the most of his unexpected reprieve, producing a performance full of brio and versatility to defeat Norway’s Casper Ruud 6-1, 6-4 and win his third Monte Carlo title in four years. 

Two months after dropping out of the top 10 for the first time since 2019, the 25-year-old’s biggest victory since his 2022 triumph in the principality marks a significant upturn in his fortunes. Tsitsipas will return to the game’s top table next week, rising five places to No 7, and now finds himself in distinguished company, joining Ilie Nastase, Björn Borg, Thomas Muster and Rafael Nadal as only the fifth player to win three or more titles in Monte Carlo. The obvious distinction between the Greek and that quartet of former world No 1s lies in his lack of a French Open title, yet this was an encouraging first step on the road to Paris, where Tsitsipas was a finalist in 2021. On this form, he undoubtedly merits inclusion on any shortlist of contenders for the second major of the season.

“I did need a week like this a lot, especially the rough months that I have been through [from] the last half of 2023 until now,” said Tsitsipas. “It hasn’t been the best of times in terms of where I wanted to be, so getting back here and winning the title is something that I was definitely not aiming for. 

“Winning this tournament three times is something I would have never imagined. Even when I got it the first time, I obviously thought it was a great feeling and that place is special towards me. But getting the holy trinity, as I call it, is something that I will fully cherish and take the most out of.”

In the moments after Tsitsipas converted his first championship point with a rapier-like forehand down the line, the last of 23 devastating winners, it was clear how much the victory meant. The triumphant culmination of his renascent run left Tsistsipas weeping with emotion at courtside. “Back in the game!” cried his physical trainer, Christos Fiotakis, as the jubilant Greek celebrated with his support team. It was hard to disagree. The last time Tsitsipas overcame three top-10 players in the same tournament was in 2018, when he saw off Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev and Kevin Anderson to reach the Canadian Open final. After defeating Zverev, Sinner and the redoubtable Ruud, he is undeniably back in the game.

“He’s maybe had a few struggles the last six, seven months,” said Ruud, whose run to the second Masters 1000 final of his career lifts him four places to sixth in the rankings. “I think we can be open and say that. He fell out of the top 10 a few weeks ago for the first time in a really long time. Now he will be back in it. I think that’s where he belongs. His level is really good when he plays like this. It’s nice to see him back in the top 10.”

This was Tsitsipas at his free-flowing, all-court best: dictating the baseline exchanges with his venomous forehand, making bold and imaginative forays to the net, fearlessly dispatching overheads. Even the elusiveness of his first serve did not trouble him, Tsitsipas compensating for a modest 48% success rate by winning a remarkable 68% of his second serve points. “Fate favours [the] fearless,” he scrawled on a TV camera lens, a fitting summary of his swashbuckling performance.

For all his derring-do, however, the Greek was helped by an erratic display from Ruud, who succeeded in bringing his ferocious topspin forehand into play frequently enough to play the match on his own terms, yet struggled to make his biggest weapon tell. All but five of the Norwegian’s 20 unforced errors came off the forehand, a statistic shaped partly by Tsitsipas’s unrelenting aggression, but mainly by his own overpressing. Normally the most serene and composed of characters, Ruud was directing agitated chatter towards his team as early as the fourth game, where he missed a trio of chances to reclaim an early break. It set the tone for a contest in which he was unable to convert any of the eight break points he fashioned.

“When I played Stef in the past, I think the guy who is able to play most aggressive and best with the forehand typically wins the match,” said Ruud, who claimed a maiden win over Djokovic in the semi-finals. “I think we both prefer our forehand sides over the backhands.  

“But today he played also heavy, good from his backhand side. It wasn’t like I found any big holes. I was a little tentative sometimes with the forehand in the beginning, so I missed a few in the net. I was thinking, ‘OK, play loose, go for it, at least go for the winner.’ Then, when I did, I felt like it was going too much out. I didn’t really find a good balance today.”

The same could not be said of Tsitsipas, whose return to form marks an intriguing development at the start of what is shaping up to be the most open clay-court season in years. Since reaching his second major final at the Australian Open last year, the Greek’s game has too often been less than the sum of its formidable parts. But with uncertainty surrounding the fitness of Rafael Nadal and the form of Djokovic, and Carlos Alcaraz struggling with an arm injury, a window of opportunity could be opening. Could Tsitsipas’s win over Sinner prove the catalyst for something yet more momentous?   

“I had an opponent in the semi-final that is a world class tennis player right now, who refused to lose to anyone, and he’s been on a very good streak,” said Tistsipas. “Overcoming that obstacle, it’s definitely a sign that my tennis is progressing and I’m able to push those players.  

“Topping it off, the win today with prevailing and coming victorious towards the end against Casper, who is a very good clay court player – he has shown that by playing multiple Roland Garros finals – it’s definitely a sign that I’m there and the consistency is showing. Definitely I’m capable of big things.”

With springtime in Paris beckoning, we shall soon see just how big.

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Back into the final of the Monte Carlos Masters for the third time in four years. Back into the world’s top 10, less than two months after relinquishing his place at the game’s top table for the first time since 2019. Back to defeating the very best in the sport, something he has not done in a long time.

On a day of high drama and high emotion on the Cote d’Azur, Tsitsipas became only the second player this season to defeat Jannik Sinner, recovering from a break down in the final set to prevail 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 against the Italian world No 2. It was the Greek’s best win by ranking since August 2022, when he overcame Daniil Medvedev, then ranked No 1 in the world, at the Cincinnati Masters.

“It was tennis at its highest level that I’ve been able to play,” said Tsitsipas. “Jannik was an extremely difficult opponent and I guess that also can be seen throughout the year so far, he’s been very consistent, and I could see that today in his game. He’s one of the toughest opponents that I have faced so far. 

“To overcome that obstacle, to just find ways when there weren’t that many, I’m extremely proud of that. He gave me a very difficult game and the way I overcame it, and the way I managed those situations, was true excellence.”

Tsitsipas’s victory was the first act of a remarkable afternoon’s theatre that ended with the world’s top two both losing on the same day at a Masters 1000 event for the first time since 2010. Casper Ruud later claimed the biggest win of his career, advancing to his second Masters 1000 final with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 victory over Novak Djokovic. 

“It’s, in my eyes, one of the all-time players to try to beat,” said Ruud. “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 I beat Novak one time at least.”

In 11 previous meetings with top-three opposition, Ruud, a three-time grand slam finalist, had never won a set. But the 25-year-old Norwegian altered that pattern by winning four of the opening five games, and although his level dropped after taking the first set, he recovered to open up an identical 4-1 lead in the decider. 

It was at that stage that Djokovic, who struggled to find his best tennis consistently, produced another determined surge, unleashing a mighty backhand winner and an even mightier roar on the way to claiming what looked likely to prove a vital break. Instead, having levelled the set, his game unravelled as he served to stay in the match. A sequence of unforced errors brought up three match points for Ruud, and although Djokovic steadied himself to fend off the first two, a double fault sealed his fate. 

“I had my chances, but [the] last game was not great,” said Djokovic, who remains without a title this season. “Unforced errors and just he was solid, I think, until the last shot and deserved to win.  

“My game was kind of up and down. The positive thing is that I managed to come back after losing the first set and really find the strength in the game. So there are positives to take away from this tournament, for sure, but of course [I’m] disappointed with the loss.”

Sinner too had cause for disappointment, although he refused to entertain thoughts of what might have been had the officials spotted a clear double fault by Tsitsipas as he faced a break point at 1-3 in the decider. A double break would surely have been decisive for Sinner, who had worked his way back into contention after a dominant start by Tsitsipas, but the mistake was missed by both the service line judge and the chair umpire, Aurélie Tourte, and the Greek went on to hold.

Sinner, who was afflicted by cramp in the closing stages, acknowledged that the missed call preyed on his mind as Tsitsipas reeled off the final four games.

“It’s tough, a tough one to swallow, because I was playing at some point great tennis,” said Sinner, whose only previous loss this season came against Carlos Alcaraz in Indian Wells. “I was playing well, tactically everything went in the right direction.  

“Everyone can make mistakes unfortunately or fortunately. You know, also I can make mistakes. And it went like this.

“Then after, having cramps, it’s a consequence most likely of what happened, because it also goes in the nervous side of the brain and then after, it’s not easy to play. I tried my best still.”

Tsitsipas agreed that the missed call played a crucial role in the outcome.

“Double break down wouldn’t make things easier for me, and just holding serve there was crucial,” smiled the Greek. “I think the match would have turned out completely different if that had been called out. I will agree that it would have been pretty bad for me if that call was made.”

For the most part, however, Tsitsipas made his own luck, not least in a remarkable first set that saw him drop just two points behind his serve as he dictated the baseline exchanges. It was arguably the finest tennis he has produced on the red dirt since his run to the French Open final in 2021.

“It was one of the best first sets I have played on clay,” said Tsitsipas. “So much consistency and great quality of shot-making. Just pure, clean game from start to finish.”

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As fans at the gates railed against lengthy bag checks and body searches, ramped up this year amid fears of environmental protests, spectators expecting to watch Novak Djokovic play tennis were instead treated to the singular sight of the defending champion drying the playing surface with a towel.

The chaos arose after officials allowed play to continue between Djokovic and his Argentinian opponent Pedro Cachin, who opened this year’s proceedings on Centre Court, despite light rainfall towards the end of the first set. Renaud Lichtenstein, the chair umpire, insisted play should continue until the set was complete, at which point the court was covered and the roof closed. By then, however, there was enough moisture on the turf to delay play for almost 90 minutes. 

Scenes that we thought had been consigned to history’s dustbin with the addition of a £100m retractable roof played out anew. Gerry Armstrong, the tournament referee, paced the court anxiously alongside various other officials, periodically feeling the grass to see if it was playable. Neil Stubley, the chief groundsman, who spends his working life tending to the grass as though it were a beloved family member, wore a furrowed brow.

Meanwhile, ground staff armed with leaf blowers were applauded on to the court by Djokovic, who broke off from chatting with Dan Bloxham, the club’s head coach, to urge the crowd to blow on the court. That at least brought some mirth to the proceedings, although it didn’t stop sections of the audience becoming restive. “Get on with it!” spectators implored officials.

When play finally resumed, Djokovic went on to complete a 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) victory, his 29th in a row at Wimbledon, where he has won seven of his 23 grand slam titles. Aside from conceding an early break with a double-fault, the Serb was in the driving seat throughout, immediately hitting back to level after that early aberration before moving smoothly through the gears after the rain delay.

“Strange circumstances with the roof being closed, and us delaying the match for almost an hour and a half,” said Djokovic following his first match since the French Open final. 

“It normally takes 10 to 20 minutes when the roof is closed for the air conditioning to do its job and the grass to dry and be ready for play. That was the case with Court One [where Iga Swiatek defeated China’s Zhu Lin]. 

“We saw that players came back after maybe 15 minutes to Court One, and they resumed play. But we didn’t and we couldn’t.

“Both of us players wanted to come out. We did several times, to show to the crowd that we want to play, we want to be there. But it was just too many places on the court which were too slippery and really moist. Touch the grass and your palm is completely wet.”

Djokovic will face Jordan Thompson in round two after the Australian came back from sets to love down to defeat Brandon Nakashima of the US. Taking advantage of the slick conditions, Thompson turned net rusher after falling behind to seal a 2-6, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 victory.

“I’ve seen a few guys have nightmares out there against him on Centre Court,” said Thompson, ranked 70, of the prospect of facing Djokovic. “Hopefully that won’t be the case for me. I’m going to have to play better than I did in the first two sets today, that’s for sure. 

“I’ve got to believe, as silly as it sounds, that I can win, or else there is no point going out there. I know the odds are firmly against me.”

Andrey Rublev, seeded seventh, marked his return to Wimbledon following last year’s ban on Russian and Belarusian players with a 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 win over another Australian, Max Purcell. Rublev, who made his opposition to the Ukraine war plain last year in Dubai, where he scrawled “No war, please” on a TV camera lens, said afterwards that he felt last summer’s blanket ban was a mistake.

“We were talking, and I think we could find the solution,” said Rublev. “If we really want to help or do what is better for tennis and for the people, I think obviously there were better options. Not just to ban. 

“In the end, was no difference. They did only worse to themselves. So in the end, I think, that there were for sure options to do much better for everyone.”

Casper Ruud, the Norwegian fourth seed, came through 6-1, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 against French qualifier Laurent Lokoli, but Felix Auger-Aliassime was an early casualty, beaten 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 by Michael Mmoh of the US. It was a first main draw Wimbledon victory for Mmoh, a lucky loser ranked 119 in the world.

“I knew it was going to be tough and it was,” said Auger-Aliassime, who has been struggling with knee tendon injury and pulled out of Halle. “But it’s a grand slam. I wanted to come and give myself a chance.”

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Throughout a clay-court campaign blighted by unexpected defeats and concerns about an injury to the same elbow on which he had surgery five years ago, Djokovic maintained that his goal was to peak at Roland Garros. 

The absence of the injured 14-time champion Rafael Nadal in Paris, for the first time since 2005, can only have hardened his resolve. The prospect of a men’s record 23rd grand slam title that would break the 36-year-old’s two-way tie with Nadal, eclipsing the Spaniard as the oldest winner in the 16th arrondissement and making him the first man in the open era to win all four majors three times, was enticing enough. To achieve it all on Court Philippe Chatrier, an arena that has become Nadal’s second home, would make victory all the sweeter.

With a 7-6 (7-1), 6-3, 7-5 victory over Casper Ruud on another hot and humid day in the French capital, Djokovic got what he came for. As Ruud looped a final forehand wide, Djokovic fell to the clay, flat on his back à la Nadal, before acknowledging both his opponent and the crowd. He crouched on his haunches to take in the moment, and then set off towards his support team, cavorting wildly. 

“When I saw his forehand going wide, I felt a huge relief and I was overwhelmed with wonderful emotions,” said Djokovic, who has now won six of the last 10 majors.

There were no tears this time, at least not at first. Six months ago, when Djokovic won his 10th Australian Open title, he dropped to the ground in his player box and sobbed uncontrollably. This time, there was only unbridled joy as he exchanged hugs, smiles and backslaps with his family and support team. Everyone wanted a piece of the history maker. Even Gustavo Kuerten, a three-time champion in these parts, stopped him for a photo. 

But when Djokovic returned to the court, and the enormity of the moment began to sink in, he buried his head in a towel and wept. No wonder. His career, played out in the shadow of Nadal and Roger Federer, has been nothing short of an odyssey: now, for the first time, he stands ahead of both. 

That it happened in France could hardly have been more appropriate. Fifteen years ago, Djokovic’s mission to be acclaimed the greatest male tennis player in history began with victory over a Frenchman, the Serb defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to win his first grand slam title in Melbourne. Now, as he finally realised that ambition – for the time being at least – it was another Frenchman, Yannick Noah, the charismatic champion of 40 years ago, who presented him with the Coupe des Mousquetaires. 

“It’s kind of symbolic in a way that I won my historic 23rd here in Roland Garros,” said Djokovic. “[It] makes it even sweeter and greater, knowing what it takes to win Roland Garros for me. 

“It’s not to take anything away from the winning of any other slam, but just Roland Garros is the highest mountain to climb for me in my career. That’s why it’s even more satisfying.”

What Ruud would give to scale such heights. The Norwegian has now reached three of the past five grand slam finals and earned just one set for his troubles. The footballers Kylian Mbappé and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, seated at courtside, would perhaps be tempted to liken the world No 4 to a striker who keeps getting into good goalscoring positions, only to miss the target. 

Yet, for the better part of 81 minutes, the time it took for an enthralling first set to unfold, Ruud bore down on goal with genuine intent. As Djokovic committed an unusually high number of mistakes, Ruud pumped down one mighty topspin forehand after another, winning almost every rally of significant length as he thwarted Djokovic’s best efforts to dictate with his own forehand. 

More than half of Djokovic’s 32 unforced errors came in the opener, and few were more memorable than the routine overhead he sprayed long to concede an early break. It was one of several shaky Djokovic smashes, a sure indication that even he was not immune to the magnitude of the occasion. 

The pressure on the Serb can hardly have been eased by the sense of expectation surrounding him. Having seen off Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals, Djokovic faced an opponent with a patchy recent record even on his beloved clay. Taro Daniel and Matteo Arnaldi, both ranked outside the top 100, have beaten Ruud on clay this season, and to most observers anything other than a Djokovic win seemed unthinkable.

But while Djokovic might be a tennis colossus, history remains a substantial burden. It did for him when he faced Daniil Medvedev two years ago at the US Open with the calendar year grand slam at stake and, as Ruud consolidated the break to lead 3-0, it briefly looked as though it might complicate matters again.

Pressure is a two-way street, however, and as he trailed 2-4 Djokovic made his move in a game that was a tale of two smashes. The first came when Djokovic miscued another inviting lob, spurning an opportunity that would have given him two break points. The second saw Ruud mar a patiently constructed rally by dumping an overhead into the net at break point down.

“That was unfortunate,” said Ruud. “A really long rally where I missed the overhead, which was sort of a bit devastating. But, you know, I was still leading. 

“I don’t think I lost because of that. But it would be nice to sit down and have 5-2 and then there is new balls, obviously. So that was tough.”

Tougher still for Ruud will be the memory of a missed return after Djokovic obligingly delivered a 91mph second serve into his strike zone at 5-4, 30-30. Let off the hook, Djokovic was deadly in the tiebreak that followed soon afterwards. He had previously played five breakers over the fortnight, all of which he won without making a single unforced error. So it was again, Ruud salvaging only a solitary point as Djokovic pocketed seven of the next eight points, bookending that passage with a pair of searing forehand winners.

“He just steps up,” said Ruud. “Either he plays ridiculous defence, or he plays beautiful winners. Just doesn’t do any mistakes.  

“He just locks in and makes you have to play either ridiculously well to win the points, or he steps up with a winner himself. He knows how and when to step up. He’s smart. He’s played so many matches where he knows where he has to raise his level. It’s just annoying for me, but it’s very, very impressive.”

It was also a body blow for the Norwegian’s hopes of a first grand slam title. With the first set in the bag, Djokovic began to take charge, dictating with his turbo-charged forehand, suffocating Ruud with his relentless accuracy and consistency. Ruud did not fall away, as he did against Nadal in last year’s final, but the only question that realistically remained was whether Djokovic would falter down the stretch. It was one he answered emphatically, winning 12 of the last 13 points.

“Like [Andy] Roddick said, he takes the legs, then he takes your soul,” said Goran Ivanisevic, Djokovic’s coach, when asked what sets Djokovic apart. “Then he digs your grave and you have a funeral and you’re dead – bye-bye, thank you for coming.”

With Nadal hopeful of returning for a farewell season next year, it still feels slightly premature to say that the last rites have been read on the grand slam title race. That moment will probably come next month at Wimbledon, where Djokovic will be a heavy favourite to equal Federer’s haul of eight titles. Win that, and he will go into the US Open chasing a calendar year grand slam for the second time in three years. It is hard to imagine now that, when Djokovic won his second major at the Australian Open in 2011, Federer had 16 grand slams and Nadal nine.

“It’s amazing to know that I’m ahead of both of them in grand slams, but at the same time, everyone writes their own history,” said Djokovic. “I think that everyone has a unique journey that they should embrace.”

No journey has been more singular than his own.

The post Djokovic beats Ruud to win 23rd grand slam at French Open appeared first on Love Game Tennis.

It was billed as a blockbuster, a moment that, after a year-long wait and a prolonged tug-of-war for the No 1 ranking, would bring either a changing of the guard or a reaffirmation of the old order. There is an obvious danger of overpromotion in such circumstances and yet, as the pair showcased their wondrous shot-making and athleticism, it felt as though the match might even have been undersold.

Then, calamity struck.

With Djokovic preparing to serve early in the third set, Alcaraz suddenly clutched his right hand in discomfort. He cast a quizzical look towards his box, missed a forehand return, and then hopped awkwardly on one leg, his body seized by cramp. 

From that moment, the match was over in all but name, Alcaraz winning just one more game as Djokovic eased to a 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 victory to reach his seventh final in Paris.

“The first set and the second set were really, really intense, and I started to cramp in my arm,” said Alcaraz, who defeated Djokovic in a final-set tiebreak in the only previous meeting between the pair, last year in Madrid. 

“At the beginning of the third set I started to cramp every part of my body, not only the legs. The arms, as well, every part of the legs. 

“It was really tough for me to move [in] the third set, and in the fourth set let’s say I had a little chance, but it was really tough. My full body started to cramp.”

Barely able to move in the third set, Alcaraz improved only marginally in the fourth as a match that began with a bang ended in a whimper. 

Djokovic will now face Casper Ruud, a 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 winner over Alexander Zverev, in Sunday’s final with history on the line. Victory over the Norwegian, who was routed by Rafael Nadal at the same stage last year, will earn Djokovic a men’s record 23rd grand slam title, moving him one clear of Nadal. It would also return him to No 1 and, for the second time in three years, leave him half way to achieving the first grand slam in the men’s game for more than half a century.

“This was a big win today under circumstances that were obviously a little bit strange, especially in the third and fourth,” said Djokovic. “But a win is a win. I have said it many times this year, that during the clay season Roland Garros is where I want to peak, where I want to play my best tennis.  

“I put myself in another really ideal position to win a grand slam. That’s basically what still drives me when I wake up in the morning.”

The magnitude of the occasion was tangible from the outset. No less remarkable than Alcaraz’s physical dynamism and outrageous shot-making is his ability to enjoy the cut and thrust of competition. Here is a man who treats the court as his playground, who greets his most outrageous winners with the broadest of smiles. But for a set, as Djokovic exerted suffocating pressure with the precision and consistency of his serving, and with the peerless quality of his returns, Alcaraz looked anything but happy. 

Uncharacteristic errors and miscues betrayed an anxiety that has hitherto been alien to the Spaniard. It was hardly surprising, given the significance of the match, and Alcaraz admitted afterwards that the tension coursing through his body in those early stages was the root of his undoing.

“I have never felt something like I did today,” said Alcaraz. “I have never felt the tension that I did in that match. 

“[It] is not easy to play against Novak, you know, a legend of our sport. If someone says that he gets [on] the court with no nerves playing against Novak, he lies.

“Of course, playing a semi-final of a grand slam, you have a lot of nerves, but even more with facing Novak. That’s the truth.” 

Djokovic turned the screw ruthlessly in the early stages. Having started slowly against Karen Khachanov in the previous round, the Serb knew he could ill-afford a repeat against a man 16 years his junior, and he guarded against that eventuality by landing 23 of his 29 first serves. Even that was not enough to prevent Alcaraz from fashioning three break points in the seventh game. But with the Spaniard struggling to play with his customary freedom, the breakthrough proved elusive. The singular sight of Alcaraz screaming towards his box in frustration offered an insight into his heightened emotional state.

The US Open champion’s turmoil was magnified by Djokovic’s trademark ability to elevate his level at the moments of greatest need. Deadly throughout with the accuracy of his centre-line serves in the ad court, the Serb threw in a clever change of direction to deny Alcaraz another break point at 5-3, prising a return error with a penetrating wide delivery as he served out the set. 

But as Alcaraz came to terms with the intensity of the contest, the smile returned to his face. After racing on to a drop shot early in the second set, he wrong-footed Djokovic, steering the ball down the line for a winner. It was a near thing, though, the ball landing plum on the baseline, and the Spaniard shot a broad grin to his team, amused by his needless brinkmanship.     

Suddenly, Alcaraz began to look like Alcaraz. The shoulders relaxed. The liveliest arm in the game began to loosen. Soon afterwards came the first big Alcaraz moment, the 20-year-old racing back to the baseline after retrieving a Djokovic drop shot to somehow manufacture a swatted pass with his back to the court. Both men laughed at that one. Alcaraz was on his way, and in the eighth game he broke after Djokovic had received treatment on his forearm. Unable to serve out at 5-3, he clinched the set four games later with a love break.    

The stage was set for an epic, but it was not to be. As Alcaraz was stricken by cramp at 1-1 in the third set, he stood hunched over, clutching at his right calf and unable to place his right foot down. Aurélie Tourte, the French umpire, descended from her chair and was soon joined by Djokovic, who appeared to offer a few consoling words.

“I can’t play like this,” said Alcaraz as he tried to stretch out the muscle. 

“Well, we have a problem,” replied Tourte, explaining that, with the rules not allowing play to be halted for cramp, the world No 1 could not take a medical timeout until the next changeover. It meant that, in order to receive immediate attention, Alcaraz would need to forfeit the next game, a situation he accepted with characteristic good grace. 

The Spaniard was still smiling as he explained the problem to the trainer, who rubbed ointment into the muscle and returned at the next change of ends to provide further treatment. But it was all to no avail, Alcaraz winning just one more game as Djokovic advanced to his 34th grand slam final in 70 attempts.

“Not the best way to end the match for him, but respect [to] him for hanging in there until the last point,” said Djokovic. “It was obvious that he was struggling with his movement. 

“It’s unfortunate for the crowd, it’s unfortunate for a match of this importance for both of us, but that’s sport. You know, it happens when you play on extremely high intensity as we both did, I think, for the first two sets. 

“It was so even. It was very demanding physically for both of us, and things like that physically, cramps or whatever he was struggling with, can happen. 

“I wish him fast recovery. I’m sure he will be back strong.”

You can be equally sure that Djokovic will be back strong two days from now.

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To observe Nadal at work on Court Philippe Chatrier from close quarters has been, for the better part of two decades, one of sport’s most wondrous spectacles. The Spaniard’s geometric mastery of an arena Gustavo Kuerten once compared to the Maracanã has been absolute, his gliding athleticism shrinking the length and breadth of the court even as his gravity-defying topspin left his opponents competing at an altitude where few have been able to breathe comfortably. 

In the absence of the injured 14-time champion, it will inevitably be a Roland Garros like no other. Or rather, no other since 2004, when an ankle injury postponed Nadal’s Roland Garros debut for a season. The winner that year? Gaston Gaudio, a 25-year-old Argentinian ranked 44th in the world who had never previously been beyond the fourth round of a grand slam, and would never do so again. While it is hard to envisage anything so improbable happening this time around, the men’s draw remains the most open since Nadal’s French Open hegemony began.

First quarter

Until the end of last month, the first port of call in any discussion about the identity of Nadal’s successor would have been two-time champion Novak Djokovic. That, though, was before Carlos Alcaraz played his opening match against Emil Ruusuvuori in Rome, earning the handful of points he required to displace Djokovic as world No 1 and ensure he would arrive in Paris as the top seed. Could Alcaraz translate that numerical superiority into a first victory in the 16th arrondissement? It would provide the most poetic of storylines, a seamless transition from one intense, dynamic Spanish champion to another – and there are plenty of reasons to believe it could happen. 

The most obvious is form: Alcaraz has lost only three of his 33 matches this season and has been the standout player of the European clay-court swing, mounting successful title defences in Barcelona and Madrid. Even an early loss to Hungarian qualifier Fabian Marozsan in Rome feels like a blessing in disguise, leaving the 20-year-old rested and ready in advance of his opening match against another qualifier, Italy’s Flavio Cobolli.

“I took some days off,” said Alcaraz. “Doing nothing, nothing, just chilling. Been with family, friends. 

“[Then] I had like five days practising in the academy at home. That is really helpful for me, you know, to be away from tournaments a little bit, have more intensity [in] practice.”

Alcaraz could face Denis Shapovalov in the third round before a meeting with either Britain’s Cameron Norrie, who defeated him on clay in the Rio Open final three months ago, or the gifted Italian Lorenzo Musetti in the fourth, who beat him last summer in the final of Hamburg. Stefanos Tsitsipas, the finalist of two years ago, could await in the last eight, before a potential blockbuster against Djokovic, who has slipped to third in the rankings following Daniil Medvedev’s unexpected title run at the Italian Open.

It is hardly the kindest of draws, but Alcaraz demonstrated his ability to withstand the mental and physical demands of a grand slam fortnight at last year’s US Open, where he saved a match point against Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals either side of navigating similarly demanding five-set epics against Marin Cilic and Frances Tiafoe. It also bodes well that he was able to cope with the magnified pressure in New York, where he faced Casper Ruud in the final with a first major title and the world No 1 ranking on the line. 

At Flushing Meadows, Alcaraz made good on his promise to “take the lesson” from his experience in Paris three months earlier, where he lost to an inspired Alexander Zverev in the last eight after being touted as a title favourite alongside Nadal and Djokovic following his wins over them in Madrid. The hype surrounding Alcaraz on that occasion can hardly have helped, but now he returns as a grand slam champion and world No 1. It is hard to imagine a similar slip-up this time around.

Second quarter

No one has more to gain from Nadal’s absence than Djokovic, who would move ahead of his great rival for the first time were he to win a men’s record 23rd major in Paris. Yet it is difficult to know what to make of the 36-year-old’s prospects as he prepares to open his campaign against Aleksandar Kovacevic, a 24-year-old from the United States ranked 114th.

Djokovic traditionally takes time to find his feet on clay, but this year he has yet to establish any meaningful momentum ahead of Roland Garros. Beyond the protective sleeve he wore on his right arm, there was no obvious cause for alarm when he lost to Musetti in the last-16 of Monte Carlo. But the straight-sets reverse that followed against Dusan Lajovic in Banja Luka, his first defeat to a fellow Serb in 11 years, was a little more worrying, and his loss to Holger Rune in Rome will have stung. 

Djokovic, a six-time champion at the Foro Italico, is normally moving smoothly through the gears by the time he reaches Rome. But he struggled to hit through the slow, heavy conditions and, in truth, he has not been close to his best since defeating Tsitsipas to win his 10th Australian Open in January. Even there, Djokovic’s physical state was under scrutiny after he picked up a hamstring injury, and the focus on his fitness has only intensified since he admitted last month that the right elbow on which he had surgery in 2018 was “not in an ideal state”. Reports that he suffered a shoulder problem in Rome before his win over Norrie have done little to allay misgivings about his physical condition.

Then again, it’s Djokovic, it’s a grand slam, and history is on the line. We know how this one normally ends. 

“History being on the line is something that is very flattering and is very motivating, no doubt about it,” said Djokovic, who insists he has no physical issues going into the tournament.

“Obviously Nadal not playing here is a big loss for tennis, is a big loss for Roland Garros, because he’s by far the most successful player to play in this tournament in history.

“So of course it opens up a chance and opportunity for the rest of us to try to get a title, because whenever he plays he’s an absolute favourite here – or any clay court tournament, for that matter.”

A possible third-round meeting with either Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina or Marco Cecchinato of Italy, who stunned him in the quarter-finals five years ago, should confirm whether Djokovic is as fit as he says he is ahead of a projected quarter-final against Andrey Rublev, the Monte Carlo champion.

The smart money is on a second career meeting between Djokovic and Alcaraz, with the winner a narrow favourite for the title.

Third quarter

If the top half of the draw holds promise of a tidy narrative, the lower half belongs to the disruptors. Few meet that description better than the sixth-seeded Rune, who has been barely less impressive than Alcaraz in recent weeks, reaching Masters finals in Monte Carlo and Rome either side of a title win in Munich. A projected quarter-final meeting with arch-rival Casper Ruud, against whom the Dane lost a spicy contest at the same stage last year, would add an extra layer of intrigue to Rune’s quest for a first major title. 

“I didn’t send him a Christmas postcard and neither did he to me, so I’m not sure if we can say we are too close,” Ruud admitted before his three-set loss to Rune at the Italian Open last week. 

Both men must pass tests before the latest episode of that Scandinavian drama can materialise. 

Rune opens against Christopher Eubanks of the United States and is projected to face Taylor Fritz in round four, affording him an opportunity to avenge his loss to the Californian at the Miami Open earlier this year. That was on a hard court, of course, but the ninth-seeded Fritz is a threat on all surfaces these days, and he has shown how well he can play on clay by posting semi-final finishes in Monte Carlo and Munich.

Ruud, meanwhile, may have to get past Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands, who held four championship points against Rune in the Munich final, and possibly Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff, who pushed Alcaraz to a decider in the Madrid Open final. 

Fourth quarter

Not so long ago, the idea of Daniil Medvedev contesting a Roland Garros semi-final would have seemed fanciful. Famously averse to clay, the Russian failed to advance beyond the opening round in his first four visits to Paris, with a quarter-final run two years ago his best result to date. But as his wildly improbable victory in Rome confirmed, the worm appears to be turning. 

Medvedev has quite simply been a winning machine since the Australian Open, claiming titles in Rotterdam, Qatar, Dubai and Miami and Rome. That kind of run does wonders for the confidence, and the fact that the 27-year-old was able to go through clay-court performers of the calibre of Tsitsipas and Rune to win at the Foro Italico will hardly have diminished his burgeoning self-belief. Tellingly, though, he is taking nothing for granted.

“What happened in Rome was amazing,” said Medvedev, who will face Thiago Seyboth Wild, a Brazilian qualifier ranked 172, in the opening round. “I for sure maybe have more expectation than I usually had in Roland Garros. 

“But I know that it’s also tricky and you have to kind of use this confidence, but not get cocky, if we can say, because that’s where the danger is.”

Danger also lurks in the form of Jannik Sinner, the Italian eighth seed and a projected quarter-final opponent. Yet Medvedev has won all six of his previous meetings with Sinner, and has a barely less encouraging recent record against Alexander Zverev, a possible last-16 opponent. Zverev, a semi-finalist in Paris a year ago but beaten by Medvedev in Monte Carlo and Rome, is seeded 22nd this time as he continues his comeback from the horrific ankle injury he suffered against Nadal last summer. 

Speaking of Nadal, Medvedev acknowledges that Roland Garros will not be the same in his absence, although he hopes to make the most of the opportunity. 

“The tournament is for sure going to feel different,” said Medvedev. “Every two days before, you could watch Rafa play on TV because they would show him, for sure. He would play on centre court. 

“This year, it’s not going to be the same. Without him [there] might be a new winner, who knows? With him it was a little – or a lot – less chances for this. So it’s definitely different.”

Just how different, we shall see.

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Admittedly, both wins came in 2019, well before Ruud won three straight clay-court titles or made his first grand slam final at Roland Garros. Yet both were significant. The first, in São Paulo, earned Garin a place in his maiden tour-level final while denying Ruud the same opportunity. With the second, which came in Houston, Texas a month later, Garin secured his first title while thwarting Ruud’s bid for a first trophy. It is fair to say the pair have history.

So while it is tempting to see Ruud’s 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) defeat to the Chilean qualifier in Indian Wells as part of the wider malaise that has afflicted him this season, judgement should perhaps be reserved until later this month, when he attempts to defend the 600 points he received for reaching last year’s Miami Open final. The world No 4’s defeat will still go down as a shock, of course, given that he sits 93 places above Garin in the rankings. Yet the result, which prolongs Ruud’s wait for back-to-back wins in 2023, was of a piece with a personal rivalry that Garin now leads by three victories to one.

It is not difficult to see why Ruud struggles against Garin. Nicknamed “EL Tanque” in his home country, the imposing 26-year-old has the weapons to mix it with the best, most notably a powerhouse forehand that, lethal in its own right, also affords ample opportunity to get forward. Happy to trade sledgehammer blows with Ruud from the baseline, Garin fired 27 of his 39 winners from that wing. But it was his bold and decisive net game that proved key at the pivotal moments. Garin slotted away a backhand volley to earn the opportunity that led to a decisive break in the fifth game of the opening set, and dominated from the net to win the second-set tiebreak.

“I like to play aggressive and move a lot to the net, and I think Casper is a really good player when you give time to him, so I try to go aggressive, go to the net, and play like that,” said Garin after claiming his first win over a top-10 player on a hard court. 

“I’ve known Casper for a very long time, so it’s very special to keep playing like this in this tournament, so I want to keep going.”

To do so, Garin will need to find a way past a seeded player for a third straight match. Having defeated Yoshihito Nishioka, the 29th seed, in the opening round, the Chilean will face the Spanish world No 28 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, a 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 winner over 13th seed Karen Khachanov, for a place in the last eight. 

Elsewhere in a lower half now shorn of its top two seeds, following Stefanos Tsitsipas’s opening-round defeat to Jordan Thompson, Alexander Zverev battled past Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori 7-5, 1-6, 7-5 to set up a meeting with Daniil Medvedev.

Medvedev, the fifth seed, notched up a 16th straight win by seeing off Ilya Ivashka of Belarus 6-2, 3-6, 6-1. The Russian, who is seeking a fourth successive title following his recent wins in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai, is not underestimating the threat posed by Zverev as the German continues his return from the ankle injury he suffered at Roland Garros last year. 

“He’s coming back, he’s playing better and better,” said Medvedev. “I think he’s not yet at where he was when he got injured, but every new match against a top player is an opportunity for him to bring back this level. So I’m going have to try to play my best, and postpone it.”

Cameron Norrie, the 2021 champion, survived a major scare against Taro Daniel of Japan, recovering from a set and a break down to prevail 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 6-2. He will next face Andrey Rublev, the sixth seed, who came through 7-5, 6-3 against Ugo Humbert of France. 

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