"Novak seemed easier to play," Ruud compares Nadal and Djokovic at Roland-Garros
In remarks cited by The Tennis Gazette, Casper Ruud shared his experience at Roland-Garros of his matches against Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, whom he faced in the final.
He stated: "I could talk about it for hours, but I would simply say that I played against Novak and Rafael in the Roland-Garros final.
"Rafa exhausts you physically"
Novak seemed easier to play because he doesn't put as much spin on the ball and his shots aren't as powerful as Rafa's. Rafa exhausts you physically from the start, because each shot is so heavy that it's hard to withstand.
Novak, on the other hand, plays lower, flatter, so his ball is a bit easier to hit, but he is still physically exhausting, only to a certain point.
But I think that shock, that wave of fatigue, comes earlier with Rafa, and he maintains that level. He puts pressure on from the first game. Novak is a bit... not that he starts slowly, he just has a different style, but yes, they are both incredible in their own way."
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