David Kane: Combining surface strength and recent momentum (and for the second straight year), it’s hard to pick against Casper Ruud when forecasting Roland Garros 2023. Of the year’s major semifinalists yet to win a major, the Norwegian has managed to stay healthier than Matteo Berrettini, and play big matches more consistently than Nick Kyrgios, Frances Tiafoe, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev.
Tsitsipas and Zverev both reached major finals sooner than Ruud, but Ruud has already reached his second at the US Open, and put together a highly credible run to the finals of the Nitto ATP Finals. All that’s missing for the understated 23-(going on 24)-year-old is a big final victory: he went 0-4 against an admittedly impressive trio of Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic in Miami, Paris, New York and Turin. The best thing Ruud can do is continue to put himself in position for success, and with no points to defend in January, it’s easy to see him carrying this form Down Under.