When a then 19-year-old Casper Ruud traveled to Mallorca in September 2018, it was a dream come true.
He would train at Rafa Nadal Academy.
Since then, he has spent countless hours on the gravel tracks, and on several occasions, Nadal himself has appeared.
And there have always been special moments for Ruud, who has long been open about Nadal being his idol all his life.
- It is motivated to have Rafa here and also Toni (Nadal) who comes to the training.
They push me further, Ruud said after being at the academy for two weeks in December 2019.
Six months after Ruud moved his home base to Mallorca, he entered the top 100 in the world rankings for the first time.
Since then, it has gone straight up, and today he is ranked eighth in the world.
But he has not yet had the opportunity to meet the teacher and role model Nadal, who won 19 Grand Slams.
- This is the perfect timing to meet him and it has been worth the wait.
To finally be able to play a Grand Slam final is special for me, hopefully also a little for him (Nadal).
"At least he meets his own student"
- He is the last of "the Big Three" (the others are Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer) that I have never met, he stated in the interview after the semifinals.
It is the first time in history that two men play their first match against each other in a Grand Slam final.
And just like Nadal, Ruud thrives best on the gravel surface.
How far all training at Nadal's academy in Mallorca is enough for Ruud remains to be seen.
But it is clear that if he wins, he would be the first Nordic winner in a Grand Slam since Thomas Johansson won the Australian Open in 2002.
- Nadal has played so many finals, but at least he meets his own student this time.
It will be fun ... I hope, says Ruud.