C. RUUD/L. Sonego
6-2, 6-7, 1-6, 6-4, 6-3
THE MODERATOR: That was quite a match. Lorenzo played probably his best tennis ever. How did you manage to turn the situation and win this one?
CASPER RUUD: Well, it was, yeah, like you said, very, I think, high-level match, because I played well in the beginning, and then Lorenzo raised his game. It was catching fire in the third set I think and playing really closely well.
I just tried to think that it's tough for someone to play this level over a longer period, and when it's best-of-five sets there will always be some up-and-downs. I think it showed luckily in the end of the fourth set that he produced some errors and I was able to get the break.
And then I got more energy, and I felt better with my game. The crowd was very nice. It was good atmosphere. They helped me going.
And I got also a good start to the fifth set. So it's tough to say if I did something different or not to change it, but I just knew at some point I was hoping his level would drop a little bit.
THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.
Q. Congrats on making Roland Garros history for Norway. My question is about the clay here in Paris. Your guys played everywhere on different red clay all over. Is there something that sets this clay apart? Do you think it's the best clay in the world?
CASPER RUUD: Yeah, I think it's for sure. This year I think the courts have been not the greatest on tour around. It's been a lot of wrong bounces and not the most even surface.
I don't know if that's because how the weather has been in Europe or whatever. But here in Paris it's completely different. It's much more firm, the ground. Then you have the thin layer of clay on top, which leaves like not too many wrong bounces and feels like comfortable to play on. Of course the lines are not the plastic lines here. It's the real deal.
I mean, to come here feels of course comfortable, and I think for sure this year -- it's always some, like, opinions of which is the best, like, clay courts in the year, but this year it's definitely Roland Garros. They have done a great job.
Q. You have played four times and you beat him all the time. But this was probably the most difficult one. He say that he probably played his best match ever. I mean, so normally you don't hear somebody saying something like that when he loses. What were you thinking when you were down two sets to one? What do you think about his performance? Do you think he lost a little bit of energy in the fourth and fifth set or it was you who came back to play better?
CASPER RUUD: Well, I think when you play best-of-five sets, you will, for both players, will always play sometimes or some periods of the match a little bit better and sometimes a little bit more mistakes.
But for, like, almost three full sets, the second, third, fourth set Lorenzo played really well, aggressive, playing winners from both forehand and backhand, from pressure situations and also offensive situations.
It was tough for me to know exactly which corner I wanted to put the ball, because he was playing very aggressive from both sides and serving well.
But I was thinking that this is best-of-five sets, and at some point I hope, of course, that his level will drop a little bit and I can be able to play a little bit more with him.
Yeah, luckily for me in the fourth set, in the end, he did some mistakes in the last game there where I broke him to 6-4, couple of mistakes with the forehand, and I was able to put some good balls back.
I think, yeah, these types of matches it's good to have some experience playing five-setters from before. Even though I'm young, I've still played I think over 10 five-set matches in my career, so I think that helped me a little bit today.
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