Third Serve
Talk Tennis Guru
Lads, we have a reckoning on our hands.
With Medvedev’s early elimination from the tournament at the hands of Kyrgios, Casper Ruud’s chances at obtaining the coveted spot at the top of the ranking boards have dramatically surged.
However, as with any goal, some hurdles will need to be overcome.
Firstly, a denadalization must soon occur on the other half of the draw. This must happen before the final if the Norwegian is to retain a fighting chance. Realistically, the potential denadalizers are strong era titans Sinner and particularly Alcaraz, both of whom are in the same quarter of the draw and only one of whom would be slated to face Humbalito in the semifinals. If not them, Nadal also faces a brutal gauntlet of Tiafoe and perhaps Norrie to lead into the semifinal.
Secondly, Ruud must actually win the tournament. No finals, no semis—a win. He squares off a possibly tired Berrettini (fresh off a riveting battle against Davidovich Fokina) on Tuesday, then potentially his greatest rival Kyrgios for the semifinal, and then (should everything proceed as planned—i.e. a pre-final denadalization does occur) Sinner or Alcaraz in the final.
I think we are all in for a Ruud awakening come Sunday... but that’s just my opinion. Stay tuned.
EDIT:
ATTENTION:
A prior post by @aldeayeah has alerted me to the fact that Ruud doesn’t even need to win the tournament in order to attain the #1 ranking. Since Nadal lost in the fourth round, his current point tally can theoretically be surpassed by Ruud if he reaches the final. Even if he loses the final, just reaching it will be a win.
That is, unless Alcaraz wins the tournament. Ruud will need to count on Alcaraz losing before the final to have the best chance at becoming number 1. If Alcaraz makes it to the final, Ruud himself will need to finish him off.
Ruud himself still has to beat Berrettini tomorrow, after which he will likely face Kyrgios in a grudge match. Winning both of those will put him in pole position.
With Medvedev’s early elimination from the tournament at the hands of Kyrgios, Casper Ruud’s chances at obtaining the coveted spot at the top of the ranking boards have dramatically surged.
However, as with any goal, some hurdles will need to be overcome.
Firstly, a denadalization must soon occur on the other half of the draw. This must happen before the final if the Norwegian is to retain a fighting chance. Realistically, the potential denadalizers are strong era titans Sinner and particularly Alcaraz, both of whom are in the same quarter of the draw and only one of whom would be slated to face Humbalito in the semifinals. If not them, Nadal also faces a brutal gauntlet of Tiafoe and perhaps Norrie to lead into the semifinal.
Secondly, Ruud must actually win the tournament. No finals, no semis—a win. He squares off a possibly tired Berrettini (fresh off a riveting battle against Davidovich Fokina) on Tuesday, then potentially his greatest rival Kyrgios for the semifinal, and then (should everything proceed as planned—i.e. a pre-final denadalization does occur) Sinner or Alcaraz in the final.
I think we are all in for a Ruud awakening come Sunday... but that’s just my opinion. Stay tuned.
EDIT:
ATTENTION:
A prior post by @aldeayeah has alerted me to the fact that Ruud doesn’t even need to win the tournament in order to attain the #1 ranking. Since Nadal lost in the fourth round, his current point tally can theoretically be surpassed by Ruud if he reaches the final. Even if he loses the final, just reaching it will be a win.
That is, unless Alcaraz wins the tournament. Ruud will need to count on Alcaraz losing before the final to have the best chance at becoming number 1. If Alcaraz makes it to the final, Ruud himself will need to finish him off.
Ruud himself still has to beat Berrettini tomorrow, after which he will likely face Kyrgios in a grudge match. Winning both of those will put him in pole position.
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