Casper Ruud ‘paranoid’ about not testing positive for banned substances after Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek doping saga
Iga Swiatek served a one-month suspension for testing positive for trimetazidine, while Jannik Sinner is currently serving a three-month ban.
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Casper Ruud, Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner (via X/ATP, Madrid Open/The Tennis Letter)
Casper Ruud is the latest player to reveal how paranoid he is about doping. This comes just months after two top tennis players, Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek, tested positive for banned substances. Several players like Aryna Sabalenka and Alexander Zverev have shared their mind-blowing stories about the fear of failing a drug test.
Before 2024, the word “doping” was rarely mentioned in tennis. But since August, when the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced that Sinner tested positive for clostebol, the word has gotten popular. In October, the ITIA then revealed that Swiatek tested positive for trimetazidine at the Cincinnati Open.
Sinner was exonerated of his charges after the ITIA accepted his defense that the banned substance entered his system inadvertently. However, WADA rejected the ruling and appealed the case. In February, he agreed to a three-month suspension with the anti-doping agency. On the other hand, Swiatek was suspended by ITIA for one month.
These cases have made players very cautious of what they take in so as not to test positive for any illegal substance. Ruud revealed that he has been extremely careful about what he takes and doesn’t buy anything from the local stores.
You have to be very careful about what you take. I always bring my own medication from Norway, in case I get sick. And I never buy anything in local stores because there’s a big risk. You don’t know what’s in it, what’s in it, or if anything is contaminated. There are a lot of things to be aware of, and I’ve always been very careful, but there comes a time when you don’t know whether you should go to a restaurant in case the chef has put something in your food or drink. These are things you can’t control, but the ones I can control, I’m very aware of. The cases of Sinner and Swiatek were very unfortunate for both of them.
Casper Ruud said via Madrid Open
The doping scandal that has rocked tennis has also left some current and former players unhappy with the handling of the cases. For many, Sinner and Swiatek were supposed to get lengthy suspensions.
Casper Ruud keeps his family legacy alive after beating Sebastian Korda in Madrid
Casper Ruud earned his place in the Round of 16 of the Madrid Open after beating Sebastian Korda 6-3, 6-3. The Norwegian continued his family legacy after his father, Christian Ruud had defeated Petr Korda in their only meeting at the Miami Open. 1999. The World No.15 was proud of keeping his family’s legacy alive.
Honestly, I thought he had lost to Petr before, so I was out here seeking revenge for the family, but this is an even better statistic for us. We’ll try to keep it alive for as long as possible. It’s fun that you see certain situations like this where father and son have played and are doing well.
Casper Ruud said
Ruud will now face Taylor Fritz for a place in the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open. The Norwegian holds a 2-1 lead in their head-to-head record. He lost their last meeting at their last meeting at the US Open but won their only clay meeting at the 2024 Roland Garros.
Casper Ruud is in dire need of a clay title after disappointing in Monte Carlo and Barcelona
Casper Ruud is far from playing his best tennis on clay. The World No.15 has always been at his best form on the surface for many years, winning over six clay titles. But this year, he’s yet to even reach a semi-final. At the Monte Carlo Masters, he lost to Alexei Popyrin in the Round of 16 despite being the runners-up last year.
In Barcelona, he was the defending champion, but he failed to produce a good performance and exited the tournament in the quarter-finals after losing to Holger Rune in the quarter-finals. The defeat led him to drop from the Top 10 of the ATP rankings, leaving him currently in the No.15 position.
The 26-year-old now has more to prove on clay as he’s not good at playing on grass. He will be hoping to beat Taylor Fritz when they face each other in the round of 16 at the ATP 1000 event in Madrid.
Also read: ‘Scared’ Aryna Sabalenka makes ‘botox’ admission as 27th birthday nears
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