By Tony Fairbairn
- Novak Djokovic [3] v Casper Ruud [4]
- H2H: Djokovic leads 4-0
PARIS, FRANCE – Novak Djokovic’s bid for a historic 23rd Grand Slam title takes on one final test in the form of Casper Ruud on men’s final day at Roland Garros.
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Novak Djokovic [3] v Casper Ruud [4] H2H & Match Fundamentals
Novak Djokovic produced a clinical performance against a physically limited Carlos Alcaraz to reach his seventh Roland Garros final with the Serb getting better with every match. Now Djokovic eyes history as he looks to overtake Rafael Nadal on Grand Slam titles with a 23rd Grand Slam title in his sights. Standing in Djokovic’s way is Casper Ruud who is into a second consecutive Roland Garros final after a dominant victory over Alexander Zverev and is now looking to claim his first Grand Slam title.
| Novak Djokovic [3] v Casper Ruud [4] | H2H: Djokovic leads 4-0 |
| Roland Garros 2023 | Paris, France |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €1,150,000/€2,300,000 |
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Both players have had physically testing matches on their way to the final with Djokovic being the slightly more efficient player especially in the first week.
Novak Djokovic [3] route to the final
- R1: Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-3 6-2 7-6(1)
- R2: Marton Fucsovics 7-6(2) 6-0 6-3
- R3: Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (29) 7-6(4) 7-6(5) 6-2
- R4: Juan Pablo Varillas 6-3 6-2 6-2
- QF: Karen Khachanov [11] 4-6 7-6(0) 6-2 6-4
- SF: Carlos Alcaraz [1] 6-3 5-7 6-1 6-1
Casper Ruud [4] route to the final
- R1: Elias Ymer [Q] 6-4 6-3 6-2
- R2: Giulio Zeppieri [Q] 6-3 6-2 4-6 7-5
- R3: Zhizhen Zhang 4-6 6-4 6-1 6-4
- R4: Nicolas Jarry 7-6(3) 7-5 7-5
- QF: Holger Rune [6] 6-1 6-2 3-6 6-3
- SF: Alexander Zverev [22] 6-3 6-3 6-0
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2023)
| H2H: | Novak Djokovic (WR 3) | Casper Ruud (WR 4) |
| Tournament Previous Best | Champion (2016, 2021) | Final (2022) |
| 1st Serve % | 64.7 | 63 |
| Service Games Won % | 86.4 | 84.3 |
| Break Points Saved % | 65.2 | 66.1 |
| 2nd Serve Return Points Won % | 54.1 | 51.8 |
| Break Points Converted % | 42.3 | 37.3 |
Djokovic will look to continue his efficiency on break points against Ruud’s clutch serving when facing break points.
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Playing Styles and Prediction
Djokovic is into a seventh Roland Garros final as the Serb has continued to improve with every match as the win against Alcaraz sent out a statement that there is nobody better at peaking at the right time than the world number three. Now Djokovic looks to claim a historic 23rd Grand Slam title which will go down as one of his more impressive Grand Slam victories.
Speaking after his victory over Alcaraz, Djokovic admitted he is happy to be in another Roland Garros final and spoke about reaching his physical limits in the semi-final.
“I’m just incredibly proud to again reach another final,” Djokovic told the Roland Garros website.
“I’m very very happy, but it’s not finished. We have another match. To play another final here at Roland-Garros is truly a dream and I hope I can play at my best level on Sunday to win the title.
“I think we were both at our physical limits to be honest, towards the end of the second set, I wasn’t feeling fresh at all. We went toe to toe, I think it was quite an even match, at one set all and then this thing happened with his cramps in the second game of the third set, and from that moment onward, it was a different match.”
In the final Djokovic will take on Ruud, who is into a second consecutive Roland Garros final after thrashing Zverev with a dominant performance. Despite not being in form heading into Paris, Ruud has continued to improve with each match and now is on the verge of his maiden Grand Slam title.
After his semi-final win, Ruud said he didn’t expect to be in the final and will embrace being the underdog in Sunday’s showpiece event.
“I didn’t come into Roland-Garros thinking I was the favourite to reach the final, not at all,” Ruud explained to the Roland Garros website.
“I was trying to think one match at a time. Let’s see how it goes from there. I’m always thinking about trying to defend this final spot from last year but, yeah, here we are two weeks later. Hopefully third time can be the charm for me.
“It’s going to be tough. Last year was against Rafa, this year against Novak. What can you say? It’s two of the toughest players in history. I’m just going to be the underdog. Like today, play without too many feelings, try to enjoy, smile.
“Novak is playing to be the greatest. Novak is going for his 23rd, I’m going for my first. It’s a big difference. We will both give it all.”
Djokovic will look to continue to be aggressive and put Ruud on the back foot with the Serb looking to make this a physical battle. Meanwhile Ruud will look to play counter-attacking tennis from the baseline and use the angles to move Djokovic out of position.
Ruud will need to get off to a quick start if he wants any chance of winning and the Norwegian has the quality to take a set off the Serb. In the end Djokovic should have too much variety and stamina for the Norwegian as a 23rd Grand Slam title should be his when all is said and done.
Prediction: Djokovic in four sets.
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