The 28-year-old shared that he inspired to stay the course and see what happens by the past performances of the ATP’s Top 2-ranked players earlier this year at the Australian Open.
“I also thought of Jannik and Carlos this year at Australia when Jannik, in particular, was struggling in the heat. Then it cooled off with the roof closing, and he was able to regain energy,” recalled Ruud.
“A little bit the same with Carlos’ semifinal with Sascha. He looked pretty dead for a while and then lost third and fourth, and then somehow regained and came back in the fifth.”
Recovery will be paramount for Ruud, with temperatures expected to stay above 90 throughout the first week of the clay-court major. In the second round, the 15th seed meets Hamad Medjedovic.
“It feels like a mental win. At times in the fourth I was thinking, I have to book the flight home tomorrow, and I’ll be watching from home on the sofa the next two weeks,” he said. “Luckily, that’s not the case.”
