Google News
Novak Djokovic described Casper Ruud as a great young man and congratulated the Norwegian on his great 2022 season. On Sunday, Djokovic beat Ruud 7-5 6-3 in the final at the ATP Finals. Ruud, 23, was playing in his first final at the ATP Finals.
On the other side, Djokovic was playing his eighth final at the prestigious season-ending tournament. After preventing Ruud from winning his first ATP Finals title, Djokovic took a moment to acknowledge the Norwegian's great season.
In 2022, Ruud made the finals at the French Open, US Open, Miami Masters and ATP Finals - but finished runner-up in each of those four big finals.
Djokovic acknowledged Ruud's great year
"I would like to return the favour and congratulate Casper and his team.
Tough luck today. I know how hard you are working and you are inspirational to myself and a lot of players around the world. You have had a fantastic year. You guys are a great team. Very nice people. Always respectful to everyone, my team and myself.
I know that probably somewhere deep inside you, you hoped that you could win one of the three titles where you competed in finals. But playing two Grand Slam finals and the biggest tournament in ATP Tour is something that is really, really impressive.
And you're still young, you still have time. And I'm sure that you're going to get your hands on big trophies very soon," Djokovic told Ruud. Following his latest win over Ruud, Djokovic now owns a 4-0 head-to-head record versus the Norwegian.
In Turin, Djokovic continued his dominance against Ruud as he now has four straight-set wins against the Norwegian. Djokovic also defeated Ruud earlier this year en route to winning the Rome Masters. In 2023, Ruud will likely get another shot at Djokovic. Meanwhile, Djokovic captured five titles in 2022 and now he is set for a well-deserved rest.