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Casper Ruud was also eliminated at the US Open, continuing a very disappointing season, by his own admission, except for the Roland Garros.
The Norwegian was unable to limit the aggressiveness of the Chinese Zhizhen Zhang and had to give up in fifth place, definitively dropping out of the world top 8.
At the press conference, Ruud talked about this complicated moment: "It didn't go as planned but I was prepared for a difficult year, given that in 2022 my expectations were exceeded. I expected that at a certain point things would not go well, is part of the sport, even if it is not fun to go through these periods.
The highlight was the Roland Garros final, without that result I would be quite disappointed now. If they had told me in January that I would be back in the final of a Grand Slam, of course I would have signed him, but I'm disappointed with the other results.
It's time to go back, reflect and rest a bit at home and then go strong at the Laver Cup."
Ruud's analysis of defeat
Ruud is disappointed with the performance shown in New York: "It was tough, it's a disappointment to lose, the goal was to stay as long as possible and win more games.
I have to give all the credit to Zhang, he shot forehand, backhand and also served very well. He made me feel a bit uncomfortable, he played the sets he won very well. There are things I could do better and I'll have to analyze.
I want to be a better and stronger player next time I take the court." The Norwegian was impressed by his opponent, whom he had beaten at the French Open: "It's a different surface, this is fundamental at least in my eyes.
He played better than last time, maybe he feels more comfortable on concrete than on clay. For me it was very difficult to compete because of his style of play. He plays so fast that it was difficult for me to set up shots, this is something I definitely need to improve on.
It's frustrating, because it's normal for someone betting on that style to make a lot of mistakes, especially in five-set battles. I felt I hadn't failed in that fifth set, I thought the mistakes would come. I fought to the end, I didn't want to give up, I didn't want to leave New York, but this time it has to be like this. I want to participate in the Nitto ATP Finals."