French Open: Amid Novak Djokovic’s Physical Struggles, Casper Ruud Minces No Words on Late-Night Marathons

When Rafael Nadal lost in the first round of the 2024 French Open to Alexander Zverev, his long-time rival Novak Djokovic might have had similar thoughts about his own retirement and how far he is from that dreadful day. Although Nadal didn’t make his farewell official, it looked like this was his final Roland Garros appearance. Djokovic, despite not winning a single clay-court title in the lead-up to the French Open, was still considered a heavy favorite heading into the event. It would take some guts to write off a champion like Djoker who proved many times that he likes to rise from the ashes like a phoenix.

However, the Serb is also a mortal and he himself acknowledged that he is finding it hard to feel motivated to win. This exact mindset is currently being tested by Italian youngster Lorenzo Musetti, who shares a great history with Djokovic, especially on the red dirt. With his aggressive brand of tennis, he posed a lot of questions to the tennis GOAT, and unfortunately, Djokovic struggled to find an answer to most of them.

Adding fuel to Novak Djokovic’s frustration, the scheduling at the French Open remains a mess. With the rain constantly interrupting, matches were forced to be moved across courts and as a result, the Serb’s match got postponed and also created the record for the latest-ever finish at Stade Roland Garros.

Casper Ruud’s blunt admission on finishing his match at midnight just like Novak Djokovic

At the time of writing, it was 01:44 am in Paris and Musetti led the world no.1 by two sets to one. As Djokovic battles physical distress coupled with the match going deep into the night, another ATP star who faced similar turmoil was Casper Ruud. Ruud, who also became a victim of the scheduling mishap, had his night-session match start with quite a huge delay at Suzanne Lenglen.

But, Ruud managed to close the match in four sets against Tomas Etcheverry and advanced to the pre-quarters. The Norwegian was asked about his feelings after a late-night finish. Casper, who always maintains dignity, chooses his words wisely but ensures that the messages reach the French Open organizers.

“I love tennis. I love Roland Garros. But I’m not sure I like playing tennis at 1 a.m,” Ruud quipped.

Apart from creating records for the latest-ever finishes, it’s not ideal to stretch matches way past midnight and both the players (in this case – Djokovic and Musetti) should be given the option to come back tomorrow and finish the contest if the situation demands.

Even for someone like Novak Djokovic, it will have a toll on his 37-year-old body and will significantly impact his chances to make a deep run in the tournament. The only positive that comes out of this is the fans present inside the show courts (Philippe Chatrier and Suzanne Lenglen). They seem to dig these night-session encounters as they vehemently cheer for both players to get an engaging contest.