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Sweden’s Mats Wilander demands a lot from Casper Ruud before Saturday’s big game in New York.
Casper Ruud faces a formidable task when he takes on world number eight Italian Matteo Berrettini in the third round of the US Open on Saturday night.
Ruud beat Berrettini on gravel at the French Open last year, but on New York’s fast new hard court, the powerful 196cm, 95kg Italian is the big favorite.
Norsk Tipping offers 1.12 in odds for Berrettini’s win, and 4.5 times the money for Ruud’s win. In practice, this means that bookmakers believe that if the match had been played ten times, Berrettini would have won eight to nine of those matches.
Wilander: – The time is now, not in two or three years.
Swedish tennis legend Mats Wilander, who has won seven Grand Slam titles in his career, acknowledges that Berrettini is the favorite, but believes that the time has come for Ruud to take the next step towards the global elite.
– Not a bad draw for Ruud, because Berrettini will clearly feel the pressure after reaching the semi-finals last year. It’s a tough match for Casper Ruud, but it’s a must-win type of match, says Wilander, who is now a Eurosport tennis expert.
– For Ruud, the time has come. It is not in two or three years. This is now. To impress, you have to beat Berrettini on a hot day when he feels the pressure. If Ruud is to become something and fight on top of the world, this is the kind of battle he must win. We all believe that Ruud makes it into the top five in the world. Now is the time to start the engine. Not next year, but now, Wilander continues.
– Berrettini has a harder serve and forehand
Although he believes Ruud now has to show what he’s made of on Saturday night, Wilander knows the Norwegian is facing one of the toughest matches of his life.
– Berrettini scored a great victory by beating Ugo Humbert in three straight sets in the second round. It looks like he’s regaining his shape again from New York last year. Anything one sends in the direction of Berrettini, it seems to handle it.
– Now play against someone who plays tennis from the baseline. Matteo will probably be able to dictate the points, and he has a bigger serve than Casper, a bigger forehand and, of course, a better ranking.
Becker thinks differently
Another tennis legend, German Boris Becker, earlier this week asked the Norwegians to lower their expectations of Ruud. He believes that high rankings in Grand Slam tournaments come naturally with development.
– Stay off his back, Norway. He’s the best you have, so give him time and don’t expect him to win his first match this week. Just support him and enjoy the progress he’s made, Becker said.
Djokovic can face Federer and Nadal
Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal will not participate in this year’s US Open, due to knee surgery and health reasons, respectively.
Novak Djokovic, therefore, has a golden opportunity to take on the star duo’s collection of Grand Slam titles. Federer is 20, Nadal is 19 and Djokovic is 17.
Earlier this year, Djokovic suffered from both coronavirus and harsh criticism after organizing the Adria Tour tennis tournament and the subsequent party in Belgrade:
Grand Slam titles can only be won at the annual Australian Open, Wimbledon, French Open and US Open tournaments. This year’s Wimbledon edition was canceled due to the virus pandemic.
The match between Matteo Berrettini and Casper Ruud can be seen on Eurosport 1 and Dplay on Saturday night. The deal begins as soon as the Sock / Withrow-Pavic / Soares double-game ends. Probably sometime between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.
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