Carlos Alcaraz has won four Grand Slam titles during his career to date, often producing his best tennis at the Major tournaments.
In 2024, Alcaraz won the French Open and Wimbledon titles, taking his Major tally to four, with victories over Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic.
He had won his second Grand Slam one year earlier, beating Serbia’s Djokovic in a Wimbledon classic, 1-6, 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4.
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Alcaraz’s maiden Grand Slam title came in New York, as he fought through three five-set battles to win the 2022 US Open.
Three years on, the ATP star, whom Alcaraz beat in the final, has now revealed how he felt before the match.
Casper Ruud admits he felt ‘pressure’ before being ‘destroyed’ by Carlos Alcaraz in the 2022 US Open final
In Alcaraz’s new Netflix documentary, Norway’s Casper Ruud explained the emotions he felt before playing his first US Open final in 2022.
“I remember that Carlos [Alcaraz] was kind of a little bit talk of the town, was playing some crazy matches on his way to the finals,” he said.
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“We were both playing for our first Grand Slam; whoever won that match would be world number one the following day, so there was a lot at stake.
“I was feeling a bit of pressure playing such a young guy, and I came out and he was destroying me.”
The 21-year-old raced into an early lead, taking the first set, 6-4, before his more-experienced opponent leveled things up at 6-4, 2-6.
The youthful exuberance of Alcaraz eventually proved too much for Ruud, however, as he won in four sets, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6, 6-3.
For the second time that year, Ruud had fallen to defeat against Alcaraz in a big American final, having lost to him at the Miami Open in April.
Alcaraz and Ruud have played one another five times in total, as the world number three holds a comfortable 4-1 lead in the head-to-head.
Casper Ruud and Carlos Alcaraz’s head-to-head record
The 26-year-old did, however, win their most recent encounter, as Ruud beat Alcaraz at the 2024 ATP Finals in straight sets.
Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty ImagesCarlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud’s US Open struggles post-2022
Alcaraz and Ruud were on top of the tennis world in September 2022, battling it out for their first Major title and the number one ranking.
They would have been forgiven for expecting further success in New York after performing so well in 2022.
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However, neither player has returned to the final since, with both Alcaraz and Ruud suffering early exits in recent years.
Carlos Alcaraz’s US Open results
- 2023 US Open SF – Carlos Alcaraz lost to Daniil Medvedev, 6-7, 1-6, 6-3, 3-6
- 2024 US Open 2R – Carlos Alcaraz lost to Botic van de Zandschulp, 1-6, 5-7, 4-6
Casper Ruud’s US Open results
- 2023 US Open 2R – Casper Ruud lost to Zhang Zhizhen, 4-6, 7-5, 2-6, 6-0, 2-6
- 2024 US Open 4R – Casper Ruud lost to Taylor Fritz, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 2-6
Alcaraz’s defeat to Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round of the 2024 US Open was perhaps the worst of the lot, as he was dumped out of the competition in straight sets by the world number 74.
Both players have suffered ranking dips since the US Open final in 2022, with the Norwegian recently falling out of the world’s top ten.
Casper Ruud and Carlos Alcaraz’s ranking progression
Having struggled at last year’s tournament, Alcaraz and Ruud will look to pick up some big points at the 2025 US Open, in a bid to rise back up the rankings.
The 2025 US Open is set to begin on Sunday, August 24.