‘Bonkers’ photo explains surprise reaction to Rafael Nadal’s French Open win

A photo taken nine years ago reveals why Casper Ruud’s response to being hammered by Rafael Nadal struck such a different chord.

They say never meet your heroes — but getting trounced in a grand slam final by the man he’s idolised for years didn’t break Casper Ruud.

The 23-year-old went down in straight sets to Rafael Nadal in Monday’s French Open final and while he looked devastated and without answers during the match, he was seeing things in a different light by the time he fronted the media.

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Obviously upset by an inability to really trouble Nadal in Paris, Ruud — a graduate of the Spaniard’s tennis academy — was able to appreciate being in the presence of greatness.

“There are certain moments I think for everyone’s career that you’ll remember more than others, so this one will be high up on my list, biggest match I ever played,” Ruud said in the post-match press conference.

“Like I have said many times before, he’s a player I have watched on TV for the last 16, 17 years. So to be there myself and face him, it’s a bit of a challenge as well but a very enjoyable one.

“Of course I wish I could make the match closer, but at the end of the day I can hopefully one day tell my grandkids that I played Rafa on Chatrier in the final, and they will probably say, ‘Wow, did you?’ I will say, ‘Yes’. I’m probably going to enjoy this moment for a long time.”

Ruud has looked up to Nadal for a long time. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)

Some were surprised by Ruud being so deferential to Nadal in defeat, suggesting perhaps it was this mindset that prevented him from firing any real shots in the final.

Before the decider, a photo of a 13-year-old Ruud in the stands at Roland Garros watching Nadal win the 2013 French Open was doing the rounds on social media, showing just how much the Norwegian has appreciated Nadal’s genius from a young age.

Ruud’s surprising reaction to the defeat was placed in the context of him growing up admiring the man on the other side of the net, and appreciating the experience at the expense of being able to go into Monday with a real killer instinct.

“I just felt like in the press conference he, and maybe it was a coping mechanism and maybe it was putting on a brave face, and absolutely there’s no right way to be after losing these finals, people deal with it in different ways. I just felt that was a guy who, to use (tennis commentator) Mary Carillo’s term, lacked ‘fangs’, really,” tennis analyst Matt Roberts told The Tennis Podcast.

“I just felt like he was a bit too pleased for Nadal.

“It must be really really hard to just forget that part of your life. I’m sure (Nadal) is such a big reason why Casper Ruud is a tennis player. I’m absolutely not criticising him for it, it was just my observation that maybe that affected things.”

Ruud watching Nadal back in 2013.

He was out of answers in this year’s final. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

Roberts also said it was “mad” to see the photo of Ruud from 2013, then watch him go up against the same player he was admiring from afar nearly a decade ago.

BBC commentator and The Tennis Podcast co-host David Law added: “Probably not surprising when you think of that photo … of him at the 2013 French Open final.

“It is bonkers isn’t it? How is that happening, you end up playing your hero in the French Open final?

“You can’t come out against Nadal and play just your normal game. You’ve gotta go for it and he (Ruud) didn’t.”

Tennis broadcaster Catherine Whitaker added: “This is what we feared. Because of that photo, because of how much he idolised him (it would affect Ruud’s performance).”