Rafael Nadal has never lost a French Open final and is fancied to dominate Casper Ruud in his 14th decider at Roland Garros.
The 23-year-old Norwegian has done well to get this far for the first time but has never faced the king of clay in a competitive match and is set for a rude awakening.
Bwin are offering a price boost of 2.15 for the favourite to win in straight sets and that is our initial Rafael Nadal vs Casper Ruud prediction.
Rafael Nadal odds
Nadal went into this tournament under a cloud due to a chronic foot injury which threatens to end his amazing career.
After three straightforward victories, the 36-year-old had to survive an almighty scare against Canadian ninth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime before prevailing 3-6 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3.
Old rival Novak Djokovic was made favourite to win their quarter-final clash but Nadal ended up securing a deserved 3-1 success.
The Spaniard then received a welcome boost in the semis when Alexander Zverev rolled his ankle at the end of the second set and was forced to retire.
With the score at 7-6 6-6 in Nadal’s favour, a gruelling battle was on the cards, which could have tested Nadal’s powers of recovery.
There were already three hours and three minutes on the clock and Nadal said: “It had been a very, very tough match.
“I think he started the match playing amazing. I know how much it means to him, to fight to win his first grand slam.”
Now, Nadal should be in fine shape to chase Roland Garros title number 14 and a record-extending 22nd grand slam win.
Looking at the Rafael Nadal vs Casper Ruud odds, bwin have another price boost of 2.4 for the favourite to win and under 34.5 total games.
Casper Ruud odds
Ruud has shown plenty of spirit to reach his first grand slam final, with an opening-round defeat of Emil Ruusuvuori his only 3-0 triumph.
He trailed 32nd seed Lorenzo Sonego 2-1 before battling through and dropped a set against number 12 Hubert Hurkacz and the fiery Holfer Rune.
The Norwegian went 1-0 down against an in-form Marin Cilic in the semis but took the next three sets in convincing fashion.
Ruud enjoys playing on clay but whether he has the weapons to hurt Nadal is open to debate, especially as his serve has looked pretty weak in Paris.
Four years ago, Ruud was honing his skills as a teenage rookie at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Majorca and the pair have played plenty of times on the practice court.
Ruud admitted: “We have played some practice sets and he has always pretty much beaten me. There’s been some close sets, 7-6, 7-5, but it always goes in his favour.”
However, he joked: “But it’s because we are playing in the academy and I want to be nice to him.”
That relaxed attitude will serve him well, but the size of the task in front of him cannot be underestimated.
Mariano Puerta, Roger Federer, Robin Soderling, Novak Djokovic, David Ferrer, Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Thiem have all tried to beat Nadal in a French Open final and failed.
Let’s add 4.6 for the Spaniard to win the first set 6-3 to our Rafael Nadal vs Casper Ruud betting tips.
Join bwin today and receive a 100% Deposit Bonus up to $200. Terms and conditions apply.
