The rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal is unmatched. The two have produced moments of magic every time they have stepped onto the tennis court against each other. While the scoreline tilts in the Spaniard’s favor with 24 wins as against Federer’s 16, the Swiss Maestro has won some big matches against Nadal. Recently, Nadal fanboy Casper Ruud delivered an ‘extra special’ verdict on the Spaniard’s rival, Federer.

Ruud is in Vancouver to participate in the 2023 Laver Cup. After saving the blushes of Team Europe, he opened up about the Swiss Maestro.

What did Casper Ruud say about Roger Federer?

With Team Europe 0-6 down, Ruud stepped onto the court to produce a masterclass against Tommy Paul of Team World. The former won in straight sets 7-6(6), 6-2 to clinch 2 points in a do-or-die situation for Team Europe. During the post-match interview, he was asked how he felt to be a leader of his team, now that Federer wasn’t playing.

Replying to this question, Ruud said, “Yes, it was. I don’t know if I’m the leader or not, but Bjorn is our leader. He is our captain. It is great to play beside Bjorn.” Further, talking about Federer, who was present courtside for Ruud’s crucial match, the Norwegian said, “When Roger is in the stands, it?s extra special. You want to deliver & play well. I tried to learn from last year. It wasn?t easy. I was like a kid in a candy store being around some of the 4 greatest players ever.”

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This is not the first time Ruud has spoken about Federer. Earlier this year at the French Open, he reminisced about his emotionally draining match against the 20-time Grand Slam champion.

When Ruud remembered playing against Federer

At the French Open in 2019, Ruud was up against Federer in the third round. He went down fighting against the Swiss maestro in a tight three-setter game. Reminiscing about the match at this year’s French Open, Ruud said, “It?s great playing here on this historic court [Suzanne-Lenglen] ? first time I played there was against Roger some years ago and I got my a** kicked.”

With Ruud’s win over Paul, Team Europe is still in contention to win this year’s Laver Cup. However, it will require special performances from the likes of Hubert Hurkacz and Gael Monfils, who will play later in the day.

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