French Open 2026 results: Casper Ruud overcomes struggles with Paris heat to reach second round
Ruud, a two-time runner-up at Roland Garros, said: “As we know there is a bit of a heatwave at the moment and that can sometimes cause problems.
“It felt like some kind of heatstroke feeling. I had a similar thing a few years ago when I was playing in Washington D.C. and I had to retire in the third set because I had that – the only time I felt the same feeling I feel today was in the fourth set, where sometimes I felt really dizzy, really tired and almost walking around like a zombie.”
“Luckily, I was still up 2-1 and in the fourth round I allowed myself to lower the intensity a bit to get my heart rate and body temperature down as much as possible, and in the fifth round I allowed myself to see if I had a chance to finish and gain some extra energy. Luckily that worked out.”
When asked if it was a mental or physical victory, the 27-year-old said: “It feels like a mental victory.
“Sometimes in fourth place [set] I was thinking, ‘I need to book a flight home tomorrow and I’ll just sit on the couch and watch from home for the next two weeks.’ Fortunately, this is not the case.
“I’m also physically proud because I never gave up. I didn’t give up.”
