During the South American swing, Rafael Nadal suffered his first defeat. The 22-time slam winner suffered his first loss to Casper Ruud in Quito, falling to the Norwegian 6-4, 6-4 after defeating him in Buenos Aires and Belo Horizonte.
In the quick conditions, Ruud performed better and defeated his close friend in straight sets. Early in the first set, Casper broke, and in game ten, for a score of 6-4, he won it on his serve.
Rafael Nadal in 2022
Now ranked no.2, Nadal played his last match on the 17th of November when he beat world no.3 Casper Ruud 7-5 7-5 in the round robin in the Nitto ATP Finals (draw).
This year Rafael has managed to achieve an overall 39-8 record. Rafael clinched 4 titles in 2022 in Melbourne, Australian Open, Acapulco and French Open. The Spaniard was the finalist in Indian Wells.
Casper Ruud in 2022
Ranked no.3, Ruud played his last match on the 20th of November when he lost to world no.5 Novak Djokovic 7-5 6-3 in the final in the Nitto ATP Finals (draw).
Presently, during this year Ruud has achieved a 51-22 win-loss record. Ruud has won 3 titles in 2022 in Buenos Aires, Geneva and Gstaad. Ruud reached the final in Miami, French Open, U.S. Open and the Nitto ATP Finals.
Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud squared off just on 2 occasions. Their current record is 2-0 for Nadal. Previously, the last time they competed against each other, Rafael Nadal won 7-5 7-5 in the round robin in Turin (Nitto ATP Finals) on the 17th of November 2022.
Here are the highlights.