Casper Ruud Believes he Still has What it Takes to Win a Grand Slam Before Retiring
Casper Ruud will face Quentin Halys in the opening round of the Swiss Indoor tournament.
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Casper Ruud (Image via X/Jose Morgado)
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Casper Ruud has come close on three occasions to claiming his maiden Grand Slam title on tour, but has often failed when it matters most. Since the US Open, he has been a better player on tour, winning matches and reaching two semi-finals in his last three tournaments. He now believes he has what it takes to win a major title before retiring.
Ruud reached his first Grand Slam final at the 2022 Roland Garros but lost to 14-time champion Rafael Nadal in straight sets. He did his best to return to the tournament and reach the final for the second time in his career the very next year, but yet again he finished as a runner-up, losing to former World No.1 Novak Djokovic.
The Norwegian star continued with his form, and got to the final of the US Open, losing to Carlos Alcaraz. He has not had the chance of reaching that level in his career again, although he claimed his first ATP Masters 1000 title at the Madrid Open in April after beating British star Jack Draper in straight sets.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have been the two stars dominating the men’s circuit events for the past two seasons. The two stars have won the last eight Grand Slams and have met each other in the last three major finals. They have been dubbed to continue with the impressive form on tour next season.
Ruud has not been able to reach the level of Alcaraz and Sinner in recent months. After winning the Stockholm Open on Sunday (October 19), he was asked if he would ever win a major title in his career. The former World No.2 admitted that though players are ahead of him, he doesn’t rule out a challenge from him:
If I can play this aggressive and with this much conviction in my game on a hard court, I think that I can challenge the best players in the world and that is what you want to do. Of course, we have two guys up front who are at times almost unplayable and unbeatable but at the same time they are also human and there are 30, 40 or 50 players behind them who every time they step on a court want to beat them.
Ruud will be seeking to continue with his red-hot form at the Swiss Indoor tournament, where he’s the fourth seed. He will compete with the likes of Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton at the tournament. The World No.11 will open his account at the tournament against Quentin Halys in the opening match.
Casper Ruud happy to follow the footsteps of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer by winning the Stockholm Open
Casper Ruud suffered a wrist injury at the Rolex Shanghai Masters but was able to recover in time before the ATP 250 tournament in Stockholm. The former World No.2 brushed aside Ugo Humbert in straight sets to win the Stockholm Open in an hour and eight minutes. It was his 14th tour-level career title and second of the season.
Ruud dropped just three points in the match, hitting 32 winners and 12 unforced errors. He admitted after the win that he was happy to win the title that the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and John McEnroe have won in the past:
I am really happy to win here in Stockholm and it is a little bit of a childhood dream as it is close to Norway and all the legends have played here in the past. Federer, Nadal, Borg, McEnroe, you name it. So it is an honour to get a title here.
Ruud is currently pushing for a place in the ATP Finals and sits at 11th with just 540 points behind Lorenzo Musetti, who is in eighth place. If he has a good run at the Swiss Indoor and Paris Masters, he’s likely to gain entry into the top eight of the Live Race To Turin rankings.
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