CASPER RUUD FULL OF PRAISE FOR NEW NO. 1 CARLOS ALCARAZ: “IN A WAY IT IS A GOOD THING BECAUSE I CAN STILL CHASE THE SPOT”
CASPER RUUD FULL OF PRAISE FOR NEW NO. 1 CARLOS ALCARAZ: “IN A WAY IT IS A GOOD THING BECAUSE I CAN STILL CHASE THE SPOT”: Casper Ruud praised Carlos Alcaraz. In Spite of the disappointment of his defeat to the Spanish teen in the US Open final, he was full of praise.
Each player kept looking for his first Grand Slam title. Everyone was looking for No. 1 ranking. Finally, Alcaraz secured the distinctions with a 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (1), 6-3 victory.
Ruud said that according to him, the 19-year-old is the best player on tour. Moreover this was reflected by his ranking.
“I am happy that we played each other in the final and that we played for the title and the world No. 1 spot. I think it is deserving we are No. 1 and No. 2 tomorrow,” the 23-year-old said, who is from Norway. He interacted with the press at Flushing Meadows on Sunday.
Ruud also reached the final of the French Open. Moreover, he fell to idol and 14-time champ Rafael Nadal. In addition, he claimed that he will reach a career-high ranking himself. He said he will keep going for the top spot.
“I am very proud of being No. 2. In a way it is a good thing because I can still chase the spot. There is only one more spot to conquer, but it will be tough for sure,” said Ruud.
Ruud has not been surprised with Alcaraz winning a wide open field at Flushing Meadows.
“I think I have said it at least before, he is one of these few rare talents that comes up every now and then in sports,” he said.
Alcaraz’s performance
Moreover, along with his all-around game, Alcaraz had the crowd on his feet. He displayed his ability to run down balls and come up with winners. In addition, Alcaraz won the Miami and Madrid Masters. Moreover, he defeated Ruud in the Miami final.
Ruud fell to 0-3 in their career meetings. Moreover, he agreed that the teen’s movement is a weapon in itself. He compared Alcaraz to Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
“It makes us other players feel like you need to paint the lines sort of to be able to hit a winner. Sometimes even that’s not enough,” said Ruud.
“Rafa, when he was Carlos’s age, he was also similar. He tracked down everything. Almost no one could hit a winner on him. Novak is the same with his flexibility. Carlos has sort of a mixture of both. Speed, agility of the players I think are just improving.”
Alcaraz’s goal
Alcaraz is concentrating on his next goal, i.e., to keep going.
The 19-year-old had a remarkable chase to the title at the US Open. But getting through the ranks while Roger Federer, Nadal and Djokovic were dominating, he wants even more.
“I want to keep working, I want to keep winning big titles, being at the top for a long time like the Big Three has done,” Alcaraz told the press in the Spanish language. “What the Big Three has done is even more difficult, to stay on top for so many years, winning everything.”
Moreover, he is willing to do what that requires. In addition, even though he got the trophy. A lot of accolades were with his play at Flushing Meadows, Alcaraz has a plan to keep working on his game.
“I am a 19-year-old kid, so there is a lot of room for improvement,” he said. “Reaching No. 1 doesn’t say there is no need to improve. The Big Three changed during the years. There is something to improve. Now is the time you have to give the most effort and work.”
Moreover, he has been backing it up by getting right back on court this week. In addition, he is about to play in the Davis Cup for Spain in Valencia. He will also be training. Moreover, he will likely not be competing in the first tie against Serbia in the four-nation group competition.