France 2026 result: Casper Rudd overcomes Paris heat to advance to second round

“As we know, there is a bit of a heat wave at the moment and it can cause problems at times,” said Rudd, a two-time runner-up at Roland Garros.

“I was feeling kind of heatstroke. I had the same thing a few years ago when I was playing in Washington, D.C. and I had to retire in the third set because I had this — then, like today, in the fourth set sometimes I felt dizzy, tired, and I just felt like I was walking like a zombie.

“Fortunately, I was still 2-1 and I let myself slow down a little bit in the fourth to get my heart and body temperature down as much as possible to finish in the fifth and see if I had some more energy.

Asked if he felt it was a mental or physical victory, the 27-year-old said: “It feels like a mental victory.

“Sometimes in the fourth[set]I thought, ‘I have to book the flight home tomorrow and I’ll be watching from home on the couch for the next two weeks.'” Fortunately, that’s not the case.

“I’m proud of myself because I never gave up. I never gave up.”