"This injury has been with me throughout the entire clay season," says Ruud after his defeat at Roland Garros

A two-time finalist of the tournament, Ruud fell in the second round to Borges (2-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-0) on Court Suzanne-Lenglen. After taking the first set, the Norwegian saw the Portuguese player fight back to level the match. Clearly hampered by injury, Ruud called for the physio due to knee pain that affected him in the last two sets. He spoke after the match:

"Over the past two weeks, I’ve been struggling with knee pain. That’s why I withdrew from Geneva. In practice, it’s easier to avoid certain movements, certain shots, but in a match, you can’t control everything the same way.

One of the most painful shots is the open-stance backhand because it’s the left knee. It’s the worst shot for me. I avoided it in practice. But in a Grand Slam match, you go all out. I don’t want to take anything away from Nuno Borges. He played phenomenally, at a very high level.

I had a scan in Madrid. This issue has been with me the entire clay season. The scan showed no damage, just fluid. I decided to manage it, mainly with anti-inflammatory pills, but it wasn’t enough. I’ll let my knee heal and rest for longer."

As for Borges (ranked 41st), he now takes down the Madrid champion and will face Popyrin in the third round. Before this match, he had eliminated French player Jacquet in a hard-fought five-set battle.