The final of Roland-Garros 2022 will therefore oppose this Sunday, June 5, the Spaniard Rafael Nadal, who defeated the German Alexander Zverev by retirement, against the Norwegian Casper Ruud. The world number 8 beat this Friday evening in the other semi-final, the Croatian Marin Cilic (3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2). It took just under three hours for the Norwegian to complete this stage. The match was stopped for about ten minutes by an environmental activist who came to cling to the net.
Until now, Ruud had never passed the stage of the round of 16 in a Grand Slam tournament. It is also the first time that a Norwegian has qualified for the final at Roland-Garros. Ruud had started his tournament ten days ago being the last opponent of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the first round.
“It was a great game for me. I played one of my best games since the beginning of the year, I’m very happy with my performance, ”says the Norwegian who had started his evening badly. He lost the first set 6-3 without looking able to compete. And then he found his game, played faster and Cilic cracked.
Sunday, June 5 in the final, Ruud will challenge his idol, Rafael Nadal. He was a student in the Spaniard’s academy: “I know Casper well, I know his family well, recognizes the Spaniard. Ruud is a good person. I’m happy when someone good achieves their dreams. I’m happy for him. »
Despite their bonds of friendship, Nadal is unlikely to make his gifts in the final. This is the first time that the two men will face each other: “He is the last player of the three Fantastics still in the race. He’s my childhood idol and it’s great to play against him for the first time in a Grand Slam final. »