Casper Ruud reveals ‘problem’ both Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have been dealing with

Casper Ruud trails 1-4 and 0-3 in his head-to-head record against Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, respectively.

Casper Ruud reveals ‘problem’ both Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have been dealing with

Jannik Sinner, Casper Ruud, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Tennis Channel, Olly_Tennis)

The Big 3 era will finally come to an end with the retirement of Novak Djokovic. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer hung up their rackets at the 2024 Davis Cup and the 2022 Laver Cup, respectively. Djokovic, on the other hand, shows a glimpse of his former self now and then as fitness problems are ruining his campaigns.

The two talented youngsters, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, have now established themselves as players destined for greatness, having won seven combined titles. And as per Casper Ruud, he and other players toil hard and try to find ways to beat these two Grand Slam champions.

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Although for me, Sinner and Alcaraz have been the two best over the last three years, and it’s hard to compete against them. They also lose matches and aren’t unbeatable. The problem they have is that their opponents are extra motivated to beat them.

Casper Ruud told Marca

Ruud has met the 21-year-old five times and was successful in clinching the win just once (in their last encounter at the 2024 ATP Finals). Against Sinner, however, Ruud lost all the three matches he played against him.

Alcaraz, after lifting the Monte Carlo Masters, arrived in Barcelona to chase his third title in the tournament, having lifted the trophy twice in 2022 and 2023. The four-time Grand Slam champion, who skipped the home tournament last year, has scheduled a quarterfinal clash with Alex de Minaur.

Sinner, on the other hand, has finally made his much-awaited comeback to training. His three-month doping ban will end on May 4 and he will be making an emotional return to the Italian Open, which is set to start on May 7.

Casper Ruud calls himself a clay specialist

Casper Ruud, the winner of 12 titles, has lifted 11 of them on clay. Apart from his successful runs, he has also made it to the final of the French Open twice, in 2022 and 2023, losing both to Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, respectively. So during the same interview with Marca, when Ruud was asked whether he considers himself a clay-court specialist, he answered in the affirmative.

Casper Ruud
Casper Ruud (Image via X/ATP)

It’s the surface I feel best on because it’s the one that best suits my game. That doesn’t mean I can’t play well on hard courts. I’ve had good results even indoors, like reaching a final and two semifinals at the ATP Finals. I don’t mind people saying I’m a clay court specialist.

Casper Ruud said

Last year, the Norwegian advanced to three finals on the red dirt, winning two (the Barcelona Open and the Geneva Open). At the French Open, however, he fell in four sets in the semifinal to Alexander Zverev.

Casper Ruud loses to Holger Rune at the Barcelona Open

Casper Ruud has not enjoyed a decent start to the European clay swing. After inconsistent performances on the hard courts, he kick-started his clay-court campaign at the Monte Carlo Masters. But last year’s runner-up fell in four sets to Alexei Popyrin in the round of 16.

Holger Rune (4)
Holger Rune (Image via X, The Tennis Letter)

The 26-year-old then entered the Barcelona Open but there too, he failed to make a deep run. In the quarterfinals, he was pitted against Holger Rune, who with a 6-4, 6-2 scoreline, booked a spot in the semifinals and improved his head-to-head record over Ruud to 2-6.

The Dane, sixth seed in the tournament, will next lock horns with an unseeded Karen Khachanov, who knocked out home favorite Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. If the 21-year-old reaches the final, he could schedule a clash with Carlos Alcaraz or last year’s runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Greek is scheduled to meet Arthur Fils.