Casper Ruud survived a five-set French Open first-round match against Roman Safiullin after struggling badly in the Paris heat and fearing heatstroke.
Casper Ruud said he felt "like a zombie" and feared heatstroke as he battled through a draining first-round win at the French Open on Monday.
The Norwegian fifth seed beat Roman Safiullin 6-2 7-6(5) 5-7 0-6 6-2 at Roland Garros after nearly four hours on court in the Paris heat.
Ruud had led by two sets to love and held five match points before his level dropped sharply. He struggled physically, called for medical attention and lost the fourth set 6-0 before regrouping in the decider.
Speaking after the match, Ruud said the conditions left him feeling close to heatstroke and that there were moments when he could barely focus on the task in front of him.
The comeback win keeps Ruud in the tournament, but it also underlined how punishing the conditions were on the opening day of the clay-court major. Official Roland-Garros coverage and ATP Tour reporting both said the Norwegian was visibly affected by the heat before recovering to finish the job.
Ruud will now turn his attention to the second round, with the main concern whether he has fully recovered from the physical strain of the opener.
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