The Roland-Garros public showed up in a very special way towards Casper Ruud. But it was not to boo the Norwegian, quite the contrary.
There was some confusion around Casper Ruud during the last days of Roland-Garros. Judging by the reactions on social networks, many viewers were surprised to hear the public at the Philippe-Chatrier court boo the Norwegian. In reality, it was very specific encouragement: “Ruuuuud” from the stands, and not “oooouuuuhh”, as some may have thought.
— Matthew Willis (@mattracquet) June 3, 2022
This celebration recalls the cries launched by Manchester United supporters in the early 2000s, aimed at their striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy. The “Ruuud” were perfectly audible, at least in the stadium, after the Norwegian’s victory in the semi-final against Marin Cilic. The sound was more confused during the final against Nadal, where the public was certainly won over to the cause of the Mallorcan, but these cries were most often uttered after the few nice points that the eighth player in the world was able to achieve.
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A moment he will never forget
In any case, we see no reason to jeer at Ruud. Apart from a few minor hiccups with Nick Kyrgios in the past, or Holger Rune on this tournament, the Norwegian is a player without history, and displays a very respectful behavior. In addition, he has always shown deep respect for Nadal, and says he had a great time in the final, despite his heavy defeat.
“I enjoyed those two days, he confided. This match, I will never forget it. There are always moments in a career that are remembered more than others. This one will be at the top of my list. As I said, I’ve seen him on TV for 16, 17 years already. It was me against him. A big challenge, it’s true, but in all very nice case. Of course, I would have liked to be closer in this match. Now I will be able to tell my grown-up children that I played against Rafa sur le Chatrier in the final. This moment, I will really enjoy it for a very long time. »
His message for the public after the semi-final against Cilic:
Almost there, Casper pic.twitter.com/VmgnAnUINH
— Salty? (@saltytennis) June 3, 2022