2023 French Open men’s final info, form, H2H, what they said, preview: Novak Djokovic v Casper Ruud

Shahida Jacobs
French Open men's final Novak Djokovic v Casper Ruud
French Open men's final Novak Djokovic v Casper Ruud

One player is gunning for a piece of history in terms of the overall Grand Slam record and the other one is hoping it is third time lucky in major finals, but will the French Open men’s final between Novak Djokovic v Casper Ruud be a one-sided affair or a classic?

Djokovic secured his place in his 34th Grand Slam final with a four-set win over world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz and victory in the showpiece match on Sunday will see him become the outright holder of the men’s Slam record as he will move to 23 – one ahead of Rafael Nadal.

The Serbian is the overwhelming favourite not just in terms of his overall aura, but he has been dominant against Ruud in their past match-ups.

The Norwegian, meanwhile, has tasted defeat in his previous two Grand Slam finals – in the first one he was blown away by Nadal in last year’s Roland Garros final while he was in better shape during his four-set defeat to Alcaraz in the US Open final in September.

Whether or not Ruud can replicate his US Open final form against Djokovic remains to be seen.

However, without further ado, here is all the information you need ahead of the big match in Paris.

Novak Djokovic

Age: 36
Nationality: Serbian
World ranking: 3
Career-high ranking: 1
Career singles titles: 93
Grand Slam singles titles: 22
Career prize money: $167,296,242

Casper Ruud

Age: 24
Nationality: Norwegian
World ranking: 4
Career-high ranking: 2
Career singles titles: 10
Grand Slam singles titles: 0
Career prize money: $14,177,809

Novak Djokovic’s path to the French Open final

Seeded a lowly third for the French Open has not done Novak Djokovic any harm as he has dealt with everything that has been thrown at him although to be fair he has made sure that his opponents don’t throw much at him.

Djokovic beat Aleksandar Kovacevic, Marton Fucsovics, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Juan Pablo Varillas in straight sets in the first four rounds before dropping his first set against Karen Khachanov in the quarter-final.

The semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz was meant to be the BIG TEST, but Djokovic came through it with flying colours, although the Spaniard struggled with injury from the third set onwards. The Serbian was sublime early on before Alcaraz fought back, but injury prevented a grand stand finish as Djokovic won 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1.

Casper Ruud’s path to the French Open final

Casper Ruud didn’t exactly set the world alight during the first week at Roland Garros, but it’s the results that count and he has managed to the wins without really having to hit top gear.

After dropping sets in the second and third round, it clicked for the Norwegian again against Nicolas Jarry in the fourth round,

He then dealt with the Holger Rune threat in the quarter-final, winning 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 before thumping Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 in the semi-final.

Novak Djokovic vs Casper Ruud head-to-head

It does not make for pretty reading if you are a Casper Ruud fan as he has lost his four previous encounters against the Serbian – including two on clay – while he is also yet to win a set against Djokovic.

They have met twice in at the ATP Finals and twice at the Italian Open with their most recent outing in the final in Turin last November with Djokovic winning 7-5, 6-3.

Djokovic also won 6-4, 6-3 in the semi-final in Rome last year, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 in the round-robin stage of the the 2021 ATP Finals and 7-5, 6-3 in the last four of the 2020 Italian Open.

Recent form

Novak Djokovic’s form since his Australian Open victory has been patchy and you can’t look past the fact that the United States travel ban as well as injury played a big role.

After starting the year with a 12-0 record, he took time out and only returned at the Dubai Tennis Championships where he lost in the semi-final before spending another period on the sidelines as he was unable to compete in the Sunshine Double.

Djokovic kicked off his clay-court season in Monte Carlo, but was stunned in the third round by Lorenzo Musetti before losing in the quarter-final of the Srpska Open. He then skipped the Madrid Open due to an elbow injury before returning for his title defence at the Italian Open, but lost in the quarter-final against Holger Rune.

Casper Ruud really knows when to peak as has didn’t really set the world alight ahead of the French Open. He kicked off the clay-court season by winning the smaller ATP 250 event in Estoril, but then suffered early exits in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid.

He finally found some form again at the Italian Open as he reached the semi-final, but lost in three sets against Holger Rune. Unlike most top players, he played the week before the French Open and reached the quarter-final in Geneva.

The Norwegian is 16–11 in 2023 and 11-5 on clay.

What they said

“Pressure is always on my shoulders, so it’s not going to be different. But it’s part of my sport, part of my life. I will play someone that already has been in a Grand Slam final, but never won a title. But again, experience on my side, but does it win matches? I don’t think so. I just have to recover well, be prepared for another long battle, and, you know, after the finals, if I win, let’s talk about history.”

– Novak Djokovic

“It’s going to be tough; last year it was against Rafa, this time it’s against Novak. They’re two of the toughest players in history, so I’m going to be the underdog, like today, playing without too much emotion, trying to enjoy it, and smiling as much as I can. Novak is trying to be the greatest – going for his 23rd as I go for my first. It’s a big difference, but I hope we can have a good match.”

– Casper Ruud

Conclusion

Just about every statistics and piece of information points to a Novak Djokovic title win on Saturday. He is fresh off a win over the in-form Carlos Alcaraz and he just seems to be invincible at the moment.

Djokovic exudes confidence and the likes of Ruud often find themselves beaten before they even step onto the court in a final against one of the all-time greats with last year’s final against Nadal a case in point.

If the Norwegian can get an early foothold in the match then he can perhaps make things interesting, but even if you do have Djokovic on the back foot chances are he will still find a way to come back and win.

READ MORE: Mats Wilander says Novak Djokovic exposed Carlos Alcaraz’s big weakness

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