1000th victory and qualification in the final for Novak Djokovic, winner of Casper Ruud (6-4, 6-3)

Ruud was brave, but Djokovic handled his business admirably

To tell the truth, the score could have been more severe as Djokovic impressed in the first quarter of an hour of this match. Too fast, too precise and too aggressive for a Ruud wandering from one end of the court to the other, he offered himself a double entry break. The difference was such between the two players that the boss of the circuit always seemed to be one step ahead and to recite his tennis. Completely dominated by the Serbian’s early balls, the Norwegian then showed a lot of courage not to sink and go straight into the game, even recovering one of his two late serves.

So much so that it still took Djokovic almost an hour to take the lead. More embarrassed by the volume of shots and Ruud’s short cross angles, he also refocused on the essentials at the start of the second set: winning his service games. More and more aggressive, his opponent then lacked the precision to really worry him. And as if he had suddenly re-energized, the world number 1 resurfaced at 3-3. Despite fierce resistance from Ruud, he focused on taking even better care of the quality and length of his returns, not missing in the exchange and exploiting the slightest short ball to take the advantage. On his 4th opportunity, this undermining work ended up paying off.

A loud cry then resounded in the Foro Italico. That of a hungry champion, with the rage to win intact and even perhaps reinforced by the adventures of his start to the year. He thus removed the last three games to fold the case in the blink of an eye while the showdown was fierce a few minutes earlier. Djokovic seems ready to conclude in style for his reunion with Stefanos Tsitsipas almost a year after their final at Roland-Garros. One thing is certain: the Greek will have a lot to do to take his revenge and end his series of five defeats against the Serb.