So does the student have a chance of beating the master? If you’ve been watching Nadal your entire life, the way Ruud has, you know what his record is in Roland Garros finals—13-0. And you know the quality of the players—Djokovic, Federer, Wawrinka, Ferrer, Thiem—he has beaten in those finals.

“It’s obviously going to be tough,” Ruud said. “We all know what a great champion he is and how well he plays in the biggest moments and the biggest matches.”

“I’m just going to try to enjoy it. I will be the underdog, and I will try to, you know, tonight and tomorrow night dream about great winners and unbelievable rallies, because that’s what it’s going to take if I want to have any chance, and I will need to play my best tennis ever.

“But I still have to believe that I can do it, and I think part of my game today was working very well.”