By the midpoint of the clay-court season, even as he navigated his favourite surface, Casper Ruud was still struggling. A year on from his breakout 2022, when he reached the final at the French and US Open tournaments, rising to world No 2, Ruud’s form had collapsed. He played nervous and tight tennis, retreating far behind the baseline, allowing opponents to dominate.
Still, Ruud kept his head down. He worked hard with a positive attitude and in the biggest clay tournament, his unwavering mentality has afforded him more success. In a highly anticipated reprise of the all-Scandinavian grudge match last year, Ruud impressively held off a late surge from an otherwise tired Holger Rune to reach his second consecutive French Open semi-final with a 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win.
