Casper Ruud hails Novak Djokovic for classy French Open gesture as private text shared

Casper Ruud has lauded Novak Djokovic for showing his class when he pulled out of the French Open. The pair were set to face off in the quarter-final but Djokovic

Casper Ruud has praised Novak Djokovic for his class after the world No. 1 pulled out of the French Open with a knee injury.

The pair were set to face off in the quarter-final but Djokovic was forced to withdraw after an MRI scan showed that the issue was too serious to continue his run.

And Ruud revealed that Djokovic sent him a private message to give him a heads up about cancelling their quarter-final.

The Norwegian got a walkover directly into the semi-final as a result of Djokovic’s withdrawal. And the Serb is now hoping to see Ruud have another successful run at Roland Garros after reaching the final in the last two editions of the tournament.

Speaking to Eurosport, Ruud said: “He texted me the other day and just informed that he wasn’t going to be able to play so that was a nice gesture and wished me good luck.

“And you know, he’s a great guy, great athlete and he’s led the way for many, many other players and being a role model he always takes time for other players so I think in this aspect he’s great and everyone here including myself wishes him a speedy recovery.”

The world No. 7 also sent a kind message to Djokovic after learning that the 24-time Grand Slam champion had an operation on Wednesday morning.

“I also read today that he had surgery so I hope it went well, I hope he can come back soon. He’s always missed when he can’t play,” Ruud added.

Djokovic defeated the 25-year-old in the 2023 final but Ruud got revenge earlier this year in Monte Carlo, beating the world No. 1 in the semi-final.

It was part of his successful start to the clay swing, which saw him finish as the runner-up in Monaco before he won his first ATP 500 title in Barcelona a week later.

And the three-time Grand Slam finalist explained that his run gave him the boost he needed ahead of the French Open.

“I mean because it’s kind of like what we deal with in a Slam, playing over two weeks,” he said.

“Had a lot of tough matches on the clay, obviously Monte Carlo and Barcelona being two one-week events in a row kind of gives you a taste of what it is to perform at a Slam if you want to do well. I would say it’s not best-of-five sets but being able to stay there and finish the second week in Barcelona with a title was a confidence booster for me, the biggest title that I ever won.”

While Ruud will be bidding to beat Alexander Zverev in the semi-final for the second year running, Djokovic is hoping to recover in time for the Olympics which will be held at Stade Roland Garros.

The 37-year-old suffered a torn medial meniscus in his right knee when he faced Francisco Cerundolo on Monday.