Four #NextGenATP stars have continued to lead the pace in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Milan, with maiden tour-level titles, Top 10 wins and career-high rankings the story of the second quarter of the 2022 season.

Carlos Alcaraz made history when he captured his second ATP Masters 1000 title in Madrid, while there was delight for Holger Rune, who clinched his maiden tour-level crown in Munich.

Italians Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti both flourished on the clay, with the former reaching quarter-finals in Monte Carlo and Madrid. Musetti earned his first Top 10 win of the season against Felix Auger-Aliassime as he boosted his chances of qualifying for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, to be held from 8-12 November.

View Latest Pepperstone ATP Race To Milan Standings

No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, 3820 points
The Spaniard has continued to make history in recent weeks, with his season going from strength to strength on the European clay.

The 19-year-old soared to success on home soil at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell in April, which meant he became the youngest player to crack the Top 10 since Rafael Nadal did it exactly 17 years before on 25 April 2005 after lifting his first Barcelona trophy. Fuelled by confidence, Alcaraz then made the 620 km journey to Madrid, where he enjoyed a dream run to his second Masters 1000 title of the season.

In a standout week, Alcaraz eliminated Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev to become the first player to defeat Nadal and Djokovic at the same clay-court event. It was also the first time since David Nalbandian in Madrid in 2007 that a player had overcome three Top 4 stars at a Masters 1000 tournament.

“It feels great to be able to beat these players. To beat two of the best players in history and then Zverev, the World No. 3. He is a great player. I would say this is the best week of my life,” Alcaraz said following his win in the final against Zverev, which moved the Spaniard to a Tour-leading fourth title of the year.

Alcaraz rolled into Roland Garros at a career-high No. 6 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. He saved a match point against Albert Ramos-Vinolas en route to his second quarter-final at a major, where Alexander Zverev stopped him in a gruelling four-set encounter.

“I leave the court and leave the tournament with the head very high,” Alcaraz said when reflecting on his time in Paris. “I fought until the last ball. I fought until the last second of the match, and I’m proud of it.”

Read 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals Spotlight Features
Jiri Lehecka
Jack Draper
Holger Rune
Shang Juncheng
Luca Nardi

No. 2 Jannik Sinner, 1430 points
Consistency was the key for Sinner on clay, with the Italian strengthening his position in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Milan. The 20-year-old, who lifted the trophy at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in 2019, ended the swing on the surface holding an 11-4 record.

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Under the guidance of new coach Simone Vagnozzi, Sinner earned his first Top 10 win of the season in Monte Carlo, defeating Andrey Rublev en route to the quarter-finals. He then saved three match points to defeat Tommy Paul in the first round in Madrid. By saving three match points against the American, Sinner moved to an ATP Tour-best four wins on the 2022 year after saving match points.

Speaking to ATPTour.com in May, coach Vagnozzi said that he feels Sinner’s fighting qualities are one of the Italian’s biggest assets.

“He is a fighter. He never wants to lose a point in tennis and then off the court he never wants to lose at cards! He likes the tough situations and the pressure points,” Vagnozzi said. “He is not scared to play pressure points, so for a coach it is much easier to work with someone who has this mentality.”

His 100th tour-level victory followed when he eliminated Australian Alex de Minaur to reach the third round in the Spanish capital. It provided an opportunity for Sinner to reflect on his career.

“I have gone my own way. I remember the first win and now I am here at 100 wins. I hope for more as I am working for that and I just love to play tennis,” Sinner told ATPTour.com after he reached the landmark. “Every match you win is a great moment.”

With 100 wins in the bank, Sinner then advanced to the quarter-finals in Rome for the first time, before an injury ended his Roland Garros run at the fourth-round stage.

No. 3 Holger Rune, 953 points
The European clay period has been a memorable one for #NextGenATP Dane Rune. The 19-year-old soared to his first ATP Challenger Tour title of the year in San Remo, before he came through qualifying to reach the second round in Monte Carlo on debut.

Rune’s major breakthrough came in Munich, though, where he earned his first Top 10 win against Alexander Zverev en route to his maiden ATP Tour title at the 250 event.

“It means a lot. It was my ultimate goal for this year to be able to win my first ATP 250 title,” Rune told ATPTour.com following his title success in Germany. “It happened today and I’m super happy about that and excited about the future. This can only bring good things out of me and I’m going to stay working hard and just try to achieve more things.”

With confidence at an all-time high, the Dane then enjoyed success on French soil. Rune reached the semi-finals in Lyon and then broke more new ground at Roland Garros, shocking World No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas to become the first Danish man to advance to the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam in the Open Era.

No. 4 Lorenzo Musetti, 621 points
Musetti boosted his chances of qualifying for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals for the second consecutive year by doing what he does best. Performing well on clay.

The Italian, who is fourth in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Milan, reached the third round at ATP Masters 1000 events in Monte Carlo and Madrid, with the 20-year-old capturing his maiden Top 10 win of 2022 against Auger-Aliassime in the Principality.

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Just as Musetti did in 2021, he gained the spotlight at Roland Garros, taking the first two sets against Greek Tsitsipas before losing in five in their first-round meeting. Last season, the 20-year-old forced Novak Djokovic to a fifth set in Paris before retiring.

“He’s fighting. He’s a talented player that has a very nice one-handed backhand,” Tsitsipas said when discussing Musetti. “He knows the game on clay. He has grown up playing [on] these courts. He’s definitely a difficult opponent to face in any circumstance, really.”

With the Greek’s words ringing in his ears, Musetti flourished on the clay in Forli, clinching his first ATP Challenger Tour title of the season at the Italian event in June.

Others To Watch
Jack Draper was one of the standout #NextGenATP stars in the first quarter of the season, winning four ATP Challenger Tour titles from January to April. Despite missing a portion of the clay swing due to injury, the 20-year-old Brit tasted further success in recent weeks. The lefty earned his second main-draw match win at an ATP Masters 1000 event when he downed Lorenzo Sonego in Madrid.

Czech Jiri Lehecka is sixth in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Milan, while Chun-hsin Tseng is seventh. Lehecka advanced to his first ATP Challenger Tour final of the season in May, while Tseng of Chinese Taipei came through qualifying to make his debut at Roland Garros.

Brandon Nakashima, who reached the semi-finals in Milan last year, has strengthened his position in eighth with a run to the third round in Paris. Italians Flavio Cobolli and Luca Nardi are ninth and 10th, respectively, meaning they remain firmly in contention to qualify for their home event in November.

No. 4 Rafael Nadal, +1
The Spaniard has climbed one spot to No. 4 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings after he captured a historic 14th Roland Garros title and record-extending 22nd Grand Slam trophy in Paris last week. The 36-year-old is the oldest men’s champion in the history of the clay-court event and has now moved level with countryman Carlos Alcaraz on a Tour-leading four titles in 2022. It is also the first time Nadal has won the Australian Open and Roland Garros titles in the same season. Read RG Final Report.

View Latest Pepperstone ATP Rankings

No. 6 Casper Ruud, +2 (Career High)
The 23-year-old has jumped to a career-high No. 6 after he became the first Norwegian man to reach the final at a Grand Slam following his run at Roland Garros. The eight-time tour-level champion, who had never been beyond the fourth round at a major before, defeated seeds Lorenzo Sonego, Hubert Hurkacz and Marin Cilic before he lost to Nadal in the final in their first ATP Head2Head meeting.

No. 17 Marin Cilic, +6
The Croatian has jumped back inside the Top 20 following his standout run in Paris. The 33-year-old shocked World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev en route to the semi-finals. By advancing to the last four in the French capital for the first time, Cilic became just the fifth active player to reach the semi-finals at all four Grand Slams, joining Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.

No. 28 Holger Rune, +12 (Career High)
#NextGenATP Dane Rune continued to make waves at Roland Garros, becoming the first Danish man to advance to the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam in the Open Era. The 19-year-old, who captured his maiden tour-level trophy in Munich in April, earned the second Top 10 win of his career when he downed World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the fourth round.

Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 33 Cristian Garin, +4
No. 41 David Goffin, +7
No. 47 Filip Krajinovic, +8
No. 51 Mackenzie McDonald, +9
No. 57 Lorenzo Musetti, +9
No. 64 Brandon Nakashima, +11
No. 66 Hugo Gaston, +8
No. 74 Jordan Thompson, +8
No. 83 Mikael Ymer, +12
No. 97 Bernabe Zapata Miralles, +33 (Career High)

Holger Rune has boosted his chances of qualifying for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals after reaching the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam for the first time at Roland Garros.

The 19-year-old, who became the first Danish man to advance to the last eight at a major in the Open Era, is third in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Milan as he looks to compete at the 21-and-under-event, which will be held in the Italian city from 8-12 November.

“I have an unbelievable feeling right now,” Rune said following his fourth-round win over World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas in Paris. “I was so nervous at the end but the crowd was amazing for me the whole match, the whole tournament. I am so grateful and so happy to be playing on this court. You guys are amazing.”

Pepperstone ATP Race To Milan Standings (6 June)

Italian Lorenzo Musetti strengthened his chances of competing on home soil in November by capturing his first ATP Challenger Tour title of the season in Forli last week. The 20-year-old, who played in Milan in 2021, is fourth with 621 points.

Carlos Alcaraz continues to lead the way following his run to the quarter-finals in Paris. The 19-year-old clinched his first two ATP Masters 1000 titles in Miami and Madrid this year and has earned a joint Tour-leading four trophies in 2022. The Spaniard triumphed in Milan last November.

“I leave the court and leave the tournament with the head very high,” Alcaraz said when reflecting on his achievements in the French capital. “I fought until the last ball. I fought until the last second of the match, and I’m proud of it.”

Jannik Sinner remains in second following strong performances on clay in Rome and at Roland Garros. The Italian reached the quarter-finals at the clay-court Masters 1000 event in the Italian capital, before he advanced to the fourth round in Paris, where he was forced to retire when playing Andrey Rublev.

Chun-hsin Tseng sits seventh after he battled through qualifying to make his Roland Garros debut, while Brandon Nakashima sits eighth following a run to the third round at the clay-court Grand Slam.

Other players who made big moves in the Race were Czech Dalibor Svrcina and Italian Francesco Passaro. Svrcina rose six places to 11th, while Passaro climbed 12 spots to 13th.

Rafael Nadal strengthened his lead in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Turin by capturing his 14th title at Roland Garros. The Spaniard is in pole position to qualify for the season finale, which will be held in Turin from 13-20 November.

The 35-year-old has not only put himself in good position to qualify for the 17th time, but he owns an 1,800-point advantage over second-placed Carlos Alcaraz. Nadal has gained such a wide margin by winning the first two Grand Slam titles of the season for the first time. The lefty on Sunday extended his record number of major trophies to 21.

“If [it does not] surprise you [to] win 14 Roland Garros [titles] or 22 Grand Slams, it’s because you are super arrogant. Honestly, I am not this kind of guy,” Nadal said. “I never even dreamed about achieving the things that I’ve achieved. Honestly, no, I never considered myself that good. So I am just honestly [going to] keep going step by step, practice by practice, and always with a clear goal to improve something.”

Pepperstone ATP Race To Turin (6 June)

Alcaraz, the reigning Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals champion, strengthened his standing in second with 3,820 points as he tries to qualify for the first time. The 19-year-old has won his first two ATP Masters 1000 titles this year (Miami, Madrid) and made the quarter-finals on the Parisian clay.

The man Nadal defeated in the Roland Garros final, Casper Ruud, surged four spots to fourth in the Race with 3,065 points. One year ago, Ruud became the first Norwegian to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals. He performed well at the Pala Alpitour, where he advanced to the semi-finals.

Five-time Nitto ATP Finals champion Novak Djokovic improved his standing with his run to the last eight in Paris, where he fell to Nadal. The Serbian has competed in the season finale 14 times, and is now just 110 points behind eighth-placed Daniil Medvedev.

Other players who made big moves in the Race were Marin Cilic and Holger Rune. Cilic soared 15 places to 15th, while Rune, who competed in Milan last year, improved 11 spots from 32nd to 21st.

Rafael Nadal overcame Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 Sunday to capture a historic 14th Roland Garros title and a record-extending 22nd Grand Slam trophy. ATPTour.com relives the two-hour, 20-minute clash through pictures.

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This was the first ATP Head2Head meeting between Nadal and Ruud, who has trained at Nadal’s academy in Mallorca since September 2018.

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Nadal made a fast start on Court Philippe Chatrier, hitting through the Norwegian in the lively conditions with his heavy topspin forehands to clinch the first set 6-3 after 49 minutes.

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After the early setback, Ruud came out swinging at the start of the second set and gained momentum, breaking Nadal to move into a 3-1 lead as his consistent groundstrokes caused problems for the Spaniard.

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However, Nadal quickly regained control on a court he has had so much success on. The lefty fired his groundstrokes with more penetration to quickly move back level, before he put his foot down to race into a two-set lead and move to within one set of improving to 14-0 in Roland Garros finals.

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Fuelled by confidence, the fifth seed continued to go on the attack, pleasing his fans inside the stadium.

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Nadal raced through the third set, hitting 14 winners and outplaying the 23-year-old, who was competing in his first major final. The 36-year-old then broke for a final time to seal his landmark victory, becoming the oldest Roland Garros champion in history.

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This was Nadal’s 22nd Grand Slam trophy, 63rd on clay and 92nd tour-level trophy overall. The former World No. 1 is now 22-9 in major finals.

What happened when Rafael Nadal hit three — and only three — balls in the court against Casper Ruud?

Calculated clay-court carnage.

Nadal defeated Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 in the Roland Garros final on Sunday on the back of dominating points in which he hit exactly three balls in the court when serving and receiving. In a one-sided final that saw the Spaniard win the final 11 games of the match, Nadal and Ruud surprisingly played very evenly in the 0-4 shot rally length, with Nadal winning 28 points and Ruud 27.

And then the fifth shot of the rally arrived, and it acted like a proverbial line in the Parisian clay.

Five-Shot Rallies (Nadal Serving)
Rally length in tennis is dictated by the ball landing in the court, not hitting the strings, which means the server can only win odd-numbered rallies, and the returner can only win even-numbered rallies. A five-shot rally is an ideal rally length for Nadal’s chess-like strategy, giving him two more strategic moves after the serve to either construct a winner or force an error. This is where his dominance in the final blossomed in all its glory.

Points Won In Five-Shot Rallies
Nadal = 11 points won (3 winners/8 errors extracted from Ruud)
Ruud = 3 points won (1 winner/2 errors extracted from Nadal)

Ruud won four-shot rallies 9-6, but things dramatically changed when one more shot was hit in the court. Nadal forged an impressive 11-3 advantage in five-shot rallies. Getting to hit two more shots after the serve is a sweet spot for Nadal to initially gain a positional advantage and then extract errors from his scrambling opponent.

Six-Shot Rallies (Nadal Receiving)
The returner is typically on defence to start the point in six-shot rallies, weathering the storm of an aggressive serve and then playing defence with a Return +1 groundstroke. Getting to neutral on the third shot is typically considered a minor victory for the returner. Those rules simply didn’t apply to Nadal in the final.

Points Won In Six-Shot Rallies
Nadal = 13 points (10 winners / 3 errors extracted from Ruud)
Ruud = 3 points (0 winners / 3 errors extracted from Nadal)

Nadal forged an eight-point advantage in five-shot rallies (11-3) and was even more dominant in six-shot rallies, creating a 10-point advantage (13-3). Of all the rally lengths played in the final, Nadal hit the most winners (10) in six-shot rallies. You can picture in your mind the Spaniard rolling back a high return from deep in the court, then moving quickly to the baseline to attack the next shot to Ruud’s backhand and then hitting a run-around forehand winner through the vacant deuce court, out of reach of Ruud’s running forehand.

Nadal forged a dominant 24-6 point advantage when you combine five and six-shot rallies. It is important to note that in both five and six-shot rallies, Nadal hits exactly three shots in the court.

What’s fascinating is that seven and eight-shot rallies had far less bearing on the outcome. Ruud won seven-shot rallies 5-4, and Nadal won eight shot rallies 6-3. There were a sizable 30 points played in five and six-shot rallies and just 18 points played in seven and eight-shot rallies.

Nadal’s Rally Advantage
0-4 Shot Rallies = 1-point advantage (28-27)
5-6 Shot Rallies = 18-point advantage (24-6)
7-8 Shot Rallies = 2-point advantage (10-8)

Hitting three balls in the court, whether serving or receiving, was the sweet spot of Nadal’s lopsided victory. He did well to survive the initial onslaught of the 0-4 rally length and then went straight to work hitting 13 winners and extracting 11 errors from his third shot of the rally.

Three shots in the court is an ideal strategic blend of defending first, outmaneuvering second, and dropping the hammer on the third shot. The Parisian mid-length master plan was hidden in plain sight.

Years ago, a young Casper Ruud sat in the stands on Court Philippe Chatrier and watched Rafael Nadal sweep to the title at Roland Garros. On Sunday afternoon, the 23-year-old Ruud had a different view as the Spaniard stormed to a 14th crown at the clay-court Grand Slam in Paris.

“I enjoyed both days, but of course it was more fun to be there myself and play,” said Ruud in his post-match press conference after falling to a 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 defeat against Nadal in his maiden major final. “There are certain moments I think for everyone’s career that you’ll remember more than others, so this one will be high up on my list, biggest match I ever played.

“He’s a player I have watched on TV for the past 16, 17 years. To be there myself and face him, it’s a bit of a challenge, but a very enjoyable one… Of course I wish I could make the match closer, but at the end of the day I can hopefully one day tell my grandkids that I played Rafa on Chatrier in the final, and they will probably say, ‘Wow, did you?’ I will say Yes. I’m probably going to enjoy this moment for a long time.”

Two moments in particular stand out for Ruud from his first tour-level meeting with Nadal. “Match points are always the most memorable, and he finished the match in style with a winner down the line,” said the Norwegian. “Seeing the ball drop on the line, that’s what I can remember the most for now.

“And of course, stepping onto the court. Something that’s a bit funny when he plays, when the announcer does the intro and he says all the times he [Nadal] has won the tournament, it never stops, it seems like. That takes like half a minute just to say all the years. I think that is also something I will remember.”

Ruud admitted that taking on Nadal on a court where the Spaniard has now won 14 from 14 finals was the toughest challenge he has faced in tennis.

“I said before the match that I guess it is,” he said. “But now I think I know it is. At least what I have faced. It’s really challenging and really tough. But I already knew it in a way.”

Nadal’s prowess was clearly demonstrated in his response to Ruud breaking his serve early in the second set. The Spaniard answered by reeling off 11 straight games to charge to the title.

“I got a little bit of a cheap break of serve in the second set and was up 3-1, and of course wanted to get the match going and maybe try to win the set,” said Ruud. “But then he stepped up and he showed that when he needs to, he plays great.

“It was tough for me to really know where I should play the ball because from both sides, he [is] strong. On the forehand he plays with a little bit of spin and kind of feels like you’re playing a right-handed forehand.

“I didn’t know exactly where to play there in the end, and he made me run around the court too much. When you are playing defensive against Rafa on clay, he will eat you alive.”

The Norwegian did have some prior experience dealing with the Nadal game coming into the pair’s maiden tour-level meeting. Ruud has trained at Nadal’s academy in Mallorca since September 2018, but he admitted that previous practice sessions with the Spaniard couldn’t replicate taking him on in a major final.

“It is tough to describe,” said Ruud. “He plays the same style in practice and matches… But the circumstances were a bit different today. It was the first time I have experienced this situation, playing a Grand Slam final. I don’t think it really got to me until I stepped on court today and saw the full stadium and felt the atmosphere in the crowd.

“It was a bit tough to [make] myself comfortable in the situation in the beginning, but as the match went on, I tended to feel a little bit better, and I could calm down and breathe out a little bit more. But it was challenging because you are playing him, the most-winning Slam player ever, and on this court in the final, it’s not too easy.

“But it was worth a shot, and a good experience, for sure.”

The final against Nadal was not the first new experience for Ruud this fortnight in Paris. He had never previously been past the fourth round at a Grand Slam, and the 23-year-old believes there is plenty to take away from his showing in the French capital as he seeks greater consistency at major tournaments.

“I didn’t play my greatest tennis every single point of the tournament, but I was able to win the most important ones and realise that the best-of-five sets matches can be very long, can be sort of a marathon,” said Ruud.

“That’s something that I think I will learn from, take with me from this experience. Realising also that I have been able to keep my body well, not too many pains or injuries these two weeks and playing quite long matches. So that’s also a good sign for me.”

Rafael Nadal made history once again at Roland Garros Sunday, soaring to his 14th title in the French capital and record-extending 22nd Grand Slam trophy overall.

Following his win over Casper Ruud on Court Philippe Chatrier, the Spaniard revealed his triumph in Paris was one of the most emotional and important victories of his career.

“For me having this trophy next to me again means everything. [It] has been [an] emotional victory, without a doubt. Unexpected in some ways. [I am] very happy,” Nadal said in his post-match press conference. “[It] has been a great two weeks. I played from the beginning, improving every day. Finishing [by] playing a good final. [I am] super happy and can’t thank everybody enough for the support since the first day that I arrived here. [It is] very emotional.”

The 36-year-old, who now holds a 112-3 record at the clay-court major, struggled with a chronic foot injury in his defeat to Denis Shapovalov in Rome a little more than three weeks ago.

However, Nadal was not to be denied in Paris, moving past Top 10 stars Felix Auger-Aliassime, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev en route to a first ATP Head2Head meeting with Casper Ruud. The 14-time champion admitted that it is an injury that is causing him problems, though.

“I didn’t want to talk about the foot during the tournament. I said I’m going to speak after the tournament, and now I can speak because I wanted to focus on my tennis and respect my rivals… I was able to play during these two weeks with extreme conditions,” Nadal said. “I have been playing with injections on the nerves to sleep the foot, and that’s why I was able to play during these two weeks.

“Because I have no feelings on my foot, because my doctor was able to put anesthetic injections on the nerves. That takes out the feeling on my foot. But at the same time, it’s a big risk in terms of less feelings, a little bit bigger risk of turning your ankle… So of course Roland Garros is Roland Garros. Everybody knows how much it means to me this tournament, so I wanted to keep trying and to give myself a chance here.”

🇦🇺 🏆🏆
🇫🇷 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
🇬🇧🏆🏆
🇺🇸 🏆🏆🏆🏆@RafaelNadal | @rolandgarros | #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/dGJucF9e3O

— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 5, 2022

Nadal admitted while the situation is unclear he is aiming to find a solution so he can compete at Wimbledon later in June.

“I don’t know how to say in English exactly the treatment, but [I am] going to have a radio frequency injection on the nerve and try to burn a little bit the nerve and create the impact that I have now on the nerve for a long period of time,” Nadal said. “That’s what we are going to try. If that works, I [am] going to keep going. If that doesn’t work, then [it is] going [to] be another story.”

The Spaniard, who said that he is determined to continue to play as long as he is comfortable and happy on court, has now extended his lead over Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in the Grand Slam titles race. The Serbian and Swiss are tied on 20 major titles, while Nadal has 22 Slam crowns.

Yet the former World No. 1 said that it is not the records that he is motivated by, but the love he has for the sport, which he started playing professionally in 2004.

“It’s not about being the best [in] history. It’s not about the records. It’s about what I do. I like to play tennis. And I like the competition,” Nadal said. “As I said a couple of times in the past, and is not a thing that I repeat, is not the thing that I don’t feel for me, we achieved our dreams. Me, Roger, Novak, we achieved things that probably we never expected.

“For me, what drives me to keep going is not about the competition to try to be the best or to win more Grand Slams than the others. What drives me to keep going is the passion for the game, live moments that stay inside me forever, and play in front of the best crowds in the world and the best stadiums.”

In contrast to the Spaniard, who was competing in his 14th final in Paris, Ruud was playing in his first Grand Slam championship match. The champion was full of praise for his opponent, who has trained at Nadal’s academy in Mallorca since September 2018.

“Casper is a great player. He’s going to be the fourth in the [Pepperstone ATP] Race [To Turin] now. Very high position in the ranking, improving every year because in the past he had been only a great player on clay,” Nadal said. “Now he’s winning titles and fighting for the most important events on the other surfaces too.

“That’s, for me, that’s the most important thing in the sport. The value of the daily work, he has it. He’s improving all the time, and even if today probably was a tough day for him, I’m sure that he’s very proud and his team is very proud of him… I would love to see him with a trophy in the future.”