Google News Casper Ruud addresses prospect of having Novak Djokovic-Carlos Alcaraz US Open final
by DZEVAD MESIC
Casper Ruud says "it is going to be a treat for fans" if Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz also meet in this year's US Open final. So far this summer, Djokovic and Alcaraz clashed in two outstanding finals on the biggest stage.
In the Wimbledon final, Alcaraz delivered an impressive performance to beat Djokovic in five sets and prevent the Serb from winning his fifth consecutive Wimbledon title. Last week, Djokovic got a bit of revenge after beating Alcaraz in a three-hour and 39-minute Cincinnati Masters final 5-7 7-6 (7) 7-6 (4).
That length set a new record for the longest ATP final in ATP history. The US Open draw has been released on Thursday and the next Djokovic and Alcaraz match could potentially come in the final at Flushing Meadows. Last year, Alcaraz won his first Grand Slam title after beating Ruud in the US Open final.
Ruud on the possibility of having a Djokovic-Alcaraz US Open final
"Carlos and Novak, they kind of play similar tennis in a way. Just there's one thing that they do opposite. I mean, they have kind of all shots in the book.
But Carlos maybe plays at a little higher speed in the way he can accelerate even more. But they move great. They have all shots. It's tough to find their weaknesses. They both have a good drop shot. Carlos plays maybe more forehands, Novak defends from the backhand side.
They're good enough as it is on the net. They've got good hand skills and their returns are great. So obviously it's always going to be a good match-up when they play each other. And you've seen it in the past four times that they've played and they have 2-2 head-to-head.
It's always been a really, really good match. It's a match-up that is going to be a treat for fans and who knows for how many years. When they play it's going to be interesting and I'm one of the players who are going to try to stop them from playing again here in New York because it means that if they play, it's in the final.
So everyone else also wants to reach the final, but they're now the guys who mostly fans will keep their eyes on during the tournament. And they're the two biggest favorites for sure," Ruud told Eurosport's Barbara Schett on 'Ruud Talk'