Casper Ruud makes Novak Djokovic admission after his maiden victory against the Serb

Casper Ruud proclaimed he was “super proud” after defeating Novak Djokovic for the first time in his career at the 2024 Monte Carlo Masters as he labelled the Serbian “one of the all-time players to try to beat.”

The three-time major finalist revealed the triumph will be something he will always remember and expressed his hope to tell his “kids and grandkids” about it in the future.

Ruud overcame Djokovic 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 in the semi-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters on Saturday to secure the most significant win of his career.

The Norwegian, who had not won a set in his five previous meetings with Djokovic, had never defeated an opponent ranked in the top three of the ATP Rankings before his triumph over the world No 1.

The 25-year-old will face two-time Monte Carlo champion Stefanos Tsitsipas in Sunday’s final as he looks to claim the biggest title of his career.

All 10 of Ruud’s career titles have come at ATP 250 level, while he has been a runner-up at the French Open (2022 and 2023), the US Open (2022) and the Miami Open (2022).

READ MORE: Casper Ruud makes Novak Djokovic ‘vulnerable’ claim as he reveals what fuelled Monte Carlo win

Speaking in his press conference after his win against Djokovic, Ruud described the feeling of getting the better of the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

“It’s fantastic. You know, it’s, in my eyes, one of the all-time players to try to beat. Today I was able to do it,” he said.

“Something I can remember for the rest of my life and tell hopefully my kids in the future and my grandkids when I’m getting old that, you know, I beat Novak one time at least.

“Yeah, it’s a fantastic feeling. Obviously I hope I can play more times before — you know, no one knows how long he plans to play for, but obviously he’s getting older, but he’s still physically in good shape and playing fantastic tennis.

“But it’s always fun to play against him, because, you know, it’s one of the toughest challenges in our sport. I’m very super proud and happy to overcome it today.”

The world No 10, who will climb to sixth in the ATP Rankings after the tournament, was also asked whether his tactics were key to the victory.

“Not sure. I mean, many things come into play when you play a tennis match. Obviously I played a few more matches on clay this year than him already,” Ruud explained.

“He hasn’t played on clay since Roland Garros last year. So he’s maybe coming into the tournament a bit more rusty, a few adjustments in his team. There are many things that can be a reason why I was able to win today.

“In terms of the game, it’s a few points here and there. I started great. I was up two breaks in the first set, and then he kind of came back and showed why he’s the best and was toying with me, dropshots, moving me around. I didn’t really have any chance to play.

“Then third set it’s open. If you get a good start like I did, it’s a good thing. Then he came back. Then the last game I just told myself, you know, try to go for it if you have the chance. He did a few unforced errors luckily for me.”

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