"I don't know if the result would have been the same without his injury," Borges reflects on his win against a physically diminished Ruud
Twice a Roland-Garros finalist, Casper Ruud exited the tournament early this year. The Norwegian was defeated in the second round by Nuno Borges (2-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-0) but was unable to fully compete in the last two sets due to a knee injury.
The world No. 41 took advantage and dominated the latter stages of the match, advancing to the third round where he will face Alexei Popyrin. The Portuguese player later reflected on how the match unfolded.
"I fought hard, especially in the first set. I felt completely overwhelmed. He played with incredible intensity, and I didn’t handle the situation the best way—it was too much for me.
I kept trying, and I noticed he started slowing down a bit. Obviously, he wasn’t at 100%, and I don’t know if the result would have been the same without his injury. But I knew I had to make things difficult for him.
I stuck to my game plan, and I knew that with the struggles he was having, it would get harder for him. I’m really proud of how I fought from start to finish, and also how I gave myself a chance to come back.
Still, I have to admit that today, I was lucky Casper (Ruud) wasn’t at 100% for the entire match," he analyzed in a post-match interview with A Bola.
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