Rafael Nadal vs Casper Ruud – Men’s Final – Preview & Prediction | 2022 French Open
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THE FACTS
When is Rafael Nadal vs Casper Ruud on and what time does it start? Rafael Nadal vs Casper Ruud will take place on Sunday 5th June, 2022 – not before 14:00 (UK)
Where is Rafael Nadal vs Casper Ruud taking place? Rafael Nadal vs Casper Ruud will take place at Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France
What surface is Rafael Nadal vs Casper Ruud being played on? Rafael Nadal vs Casper Ruud will take place on an outdoor clay court
Where can I get tickets for Rafael Nadal vs Casper Ruud? Visit this link for the latest ticket information for Rafael Nadal vs Casper Ruud
What channel is Rafael Nadal vs Casper Ruud on in the UK? Eurosport will be televising major matches so it is worth checking their schedule for Rafael Nadal vs Casper Ruud
Where can I stream Rafael Nadal vs Casper Ruud in the UK? discovery+ subscribers can stream Rafael Nadal vs Casper Ruud live while the match can be streamed on Eurosport Player and Amazon Prime Video if it is televised
THE LOWDOWN
RAFAEL NADAL
World number five Rafael Nadal will play in his 14th Roland-Garros final in 18 appearances after overcoming a superb test by Alexander Zverev on Friday night. Zverev wad forced to retire after a nasty ankle injury just as the second set went to a tiebreak but the pair had battled it out for over two hours already in what had promised to be a marathon. The Spaniard turned 36 on Friday night and there is increasing speculation that he may retire this season, if not immediately after the outcome of this final. Nadal has never lost any of his previous 13 finals here and he set a new Men’s record of Grand Slam titles with a 21st won at the Australian Open back in January.
CASPER RUUD
23-year-old Casper Ruud will set a new career-high ATP world ranking of sixth after reaching a first Grand Slam final. The Norwegian came back from a set down to beat the vastly impressive Marin Cilic on Friday, backing up two strong wins over Hubert Hurkacz and Holger Rune. Ruud has been the most prolific player on clay over the last few seasons, winning seven of his eight ATP title on the surface including the Geneva Open two weeks ago from which he is now riding a 10-match winning streak.
THE PREDICTION
This is the first meeting on tour between Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud, something the young Norwegian will remember forever no matter the outcome. 13-time Roland-Garros champion Rafael Nadal was bruised and battered by Alexander Zverev on Friday, his birthday, but the Spaniard rode some luck to keep what could have been a five-hour match short and that should serve him well here as Ruud has bags of energy. Ruud has been touted as a genuine future contender in Paris for some time, in much the same way that Dominic Thiem and more recently Stefanos Tsitsipas have been, but this brilliant run to the final has come somewhat prematurely. All the better for him, though, as he gets to face an idol in Nadal’s greatest arena before the great Spaniard eventually retires.
As first meetings go the odds could not be more stacked against Ruud. Rafael Nadal has lost just three times at Roland-Garros in 18 appearances and twice to Novak Djokovic, although a Scandinavian has managed the feat when Robin Soderling was a shock victor back in 2009. Nadal has also bested Dominic Thiem four times at Roland-Garros, including the 2018 and 2019 finals here, to suggest he is well versed in rising to the challenge of pretenders to the throne. Nadal looks the solid favourite to break more records here. Back the Spaniard to win outright, with three sets just about more probable than four.
