'He deserves that spot' - Casper Ruud heaps praise on Carlos Alcaraz post the latter's US Open title win

Casper Ruud, Carlos Alcaraz (Image Source: Twitter)

The US Open 2022 has witnessed some spine-tingling matches. Carlos Alcaraz, the latest sensation, roared in the finals against Casper Ruud, held on Sunday. The Spanish star won against the Norwegian with a scoreline of 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-3.

Post the fighting defeat, Casper Ruud opened up on his opponent and lauded the youngster for his win. The 23-year-old was all praises for the Spaniard who reached the number one spot with his emphatic win at the Flushing Meadows.

"He's riding that wave. At the moment he's the best player in the world in my eyes. He deserves that spot. He's one of these few rare talents that comes up every now and then in sports. That's what it seems like,” Ruud said of Alcaraz.

The Norwegian went on to compare the youngster to the ‘big three’. Ruud added that the Spaniard’s speed resembled a lot to Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. There cannot be more apt praise for the youngster who indeed is the next big thing in tennis.

“He's very fast. He's very quick. He's a great mover. He can get to balls that we've probably never seen before. Carlos has sort of a mixture. He's fast, flexible. He can slide around. It's impressive. He's a hard nut to crack,” he added further.

When it's close, he pulls out great shots: Casper Ruud

The Norwegian further heaped praise on the champion and said that he comes up with great shots. Ruud further said that it baffles him to realize the truth that Alcaraz is a teenager. Although the Spaniard is just a teenager, he put on a valiant fight in the finals against Ruud.

"Carlos stepped up when he really needed to. Especially in the third set, it was close to go in my favour. I had some set points and couldn't take care of them. He just played too good on those points. We've seen it many times before, he steps up when he needs to. When it's close, he pulls out great shots," he concluded.