Dominic Thiem v Caster Ruud French Open Updates

Casper Ruud has quickly evolved into one of the world’s best players on clay. The 21-year-old has racked up a 46-23 record on the surface during the most difficult stage of any athlete's career, the very beginning.

Earlier this year, he captured his maiden ATP title in Buenos Aires. Prior to Roland Garros, he reached the semis in Rome and Hamburg, racking up wins against Karen Khachanov, Marin Cilic, Matteo Berrettini, Ugo Humbert, and Fabio Fognini. Ruud plays with extreme discipline and margin. He will rarely go for an ill-advised winner. He hits heavier than almost anyone on tour, with the exception of his Friday opponent—Dominic Thiem.

Dominic Thiem in recent years has been branded as the ‘Prince of Clay’ and the obvious successor to Rafa Nadal on the clay courts in the near future.

Two French Open final losses to Nadal in 2018 and 2019, as well as defeating Nadal on the clay courts of Barcelona, Madrid and Rome are all testament to the Austrian’s skills and abilities on clay. While Thiem would have always been a force to reckon with on the Parisian clay, this time around he is also the US Open champion, which brings with it confidence and more expectation.