Rafael Nadal vs Casper Ruud Prediction & Betting Tips - ATP French Open

Prediction published on 04/06/2022, 04:54  by Steve Ashfield | Modified on 05/06/2022 at 10:48 in Tennis Predictions

Rafael Nadal bids to extend his records for most French Open wins and Grand Slam titles. The Spaniard takes on eighth seed Casper Ruud in the Roland Garros final. Nadal is hoping to win a 14th title in Paris and a 22nd Grand Slam title, his second of the year. A win will give him two more Grand Slam titles, two more than Djokovic and Federer. Nadal doesn't know what it is like to lose a final at Roland Garros. He first reached the final in 2005 and every time he makes the title decider, he goes on to win the tournament. He will make history if winning this final because he has never before won the first two Grand Slam events of the year. It'll also be his first clay court title of the year and his fourth tournament victory of 2022. He must be the most talented fifth seed there's ever been at Roland Garros but will be up to fourth in the world after this run to the Roland Garros final. He has dropped three sets on his way to this final and it might have been four if his semi-final hadn't ended some abruptly.

Casper Ruud will be sixth in the rankings after making it to his first Grand Slam final. His three previous visits to Roland Garros had seen him knocked out in the third round on each occasion. He has one clay court title to his name this year, retaining his Geneva title. This is a massive step up for Ruud as all of his title wins have been at the much lower ATP 250 series level. Now he's the first player from Norway to reach a Grand Slam final, let alone win one. Ruud hasn't had an easy route to the final and has lost six sets along the way. He had to come from a set down to get the win over Marin Cilic in the semi-final. Nadal is the short odds favourite to win this final and can be included in accumulators. Backing over 34.5 games in the match looks a winner as does there being a tie-break in this final.