Casper Ruud says Roger Federer’s presence brings out extra efforts, calls himself a ‘kid in a candy store’ on playing with the Big-4

Casper Ruud gains a significant lead at Laver Cup.

Casper Ruud says Roger Federer’s presence brings out extra efforts, calls himself a ‘kid in a candy store’ on playing with the Big-4

Roger Federer and Casper Ruud (Credits: Tennis.com)

This year, Team Europe has been outperformed by Team World at the Laver Cup. They are staring down a score of 0–6. In this time of need, Casper Ruud won a significant point for Team Europe. He defeated Tommy Paul on Saturday in Vancouver with a scoreline of 7-6(6), 6-2.

He kicked off Team Europe’s journey to victory by winning this crucial match for his team. This would put the defending champions, Team World, at a disadvantage and increase the chances of the four-time victorious Team Europe.

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“Game on, baby!” Ruud said after clinching the team’s first win. In his on-court interview, the Norwegian said that when Roger Federer is in the stands, it becomes extra special. The Swiss maestro is there to commemorate the anniversary of his final match last year. Because of his presence, Ruud wants to try and do well. He said that he tried to learn from him last year. The 24-year-old remarked that it isn’t easy for him, but he feels like a kid in a candy store as he is around some of the greatest tennis players of all time.

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He said, “When Roger is in the stands, it’s extra special. You want to deliver and play well. I tried to learn from last year. It wasn’t easy. I was like a kid in a candy store being around some of the four greatest players ever.“

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Casper Ruud clinches first point for Team Europe

Casper Ruud secured the first point for Team Europe. Before this, they were scratching the bottom of the barrel. They were struggling with a score of 0–6 previously. Even though the score is so lopsided, the matches have been quite close. The score after Ruud’s victory is now 6-2. There is now hope for Team Europe to avenge their losses from last year. Since last year, Team Europe has won four editions of the Laver Cup.

Casper Ruud (Credits: Laver Cup)

“I really thought that it’s time to play maybe the best match of the year, and it wasn’t far away,” said the Norwegian as he ripped 13 forehand winners.

The 9th seed then managed to seize his first breakpoint chance to take a 3-1 lead. The American had the chance to break back but was denied the opportunity by a huge first serve from Ruud. Bjorn Borg said that Team World has been playing great but believes that they can make a comeback.

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