Casper Ruud was just a step away from taking home his maiden Grand Slam title. But unfortunately, things then unfolded in the way he wanted, and he lost his third consecutive Grand Slam final while losing the French Open title to Novak Djokovic. Despite suffering a setback, the 24-year-old tennis star broke a record that had previously only been held by Serena Williams.

A few months before the Roland Garros defeat, the Norwegian tennis player praised the American tennis legend as the greatest of all time. And now, something you never would have imagined: Ruud and the 23-time Grand Slam champion share a peculiar losing record.

French Open finalist Casper Ruud equates Serena Williams’ dismal record 

The fourth-ranked tennis player in the world has been reaching new heights on the court over the past several years. He came close to winning his first Grand Slam match this year but fell short in the finals. However, he has also advanced to the finals of two Grand Slam tournaments in the past. Last year, he fell to Rafael Nadal in the French Open finals and then suffered a second champion defeat to Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open.

And after reaching his third straight Grand Slam final, he joined Williams as the first tennis player in this rare record. In the 2018–19 season, the 41-year-old tennis player lost nearly three Grand Slam finals. Angelique Kerber defeated her at the 2018 Wimbledon and Simona Halep at the 2019 Wimbledon. She also lost the US Open Championship match in 2018–19.

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However, by the time the American tennis legend lost consecutive finals, she was already crowned with her 23rd Grand Slam title. But on the other hand, the 24-year-old lost three Grand Slam finals at quite an early stage, trying to figure out his place in the tennis world. Nevertheless, a few months before, the world’s fourth-ranked tennis player also praised Williams for her tennis greatness.

When Ruud hailed Serena Williams as the ultimate GOAT 

Even after idolizing Nadal on the tennis court, Ruud, in an interaction with his fans, talked about many topics. Including the 41-year-old tennis legend and women’s tennis. In that conversation, the Norwegian tennis player stated, “I would say without a doubt Serena Williams, and for me, she is undoubtedly the GOAT of women’s tennis.”

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He also praised the WTA world number one Iga Swiatek’s game, emphasizing how she was dominant on the tennis circuit last year. And now equating a dismal record with the legendary tennis player is a minor achievement in itself.