Casper Ruud divulges the special quality of Rafael Nadal while sharing his experiences from the Latin American Tour with the Spaniard
World No 3 Casper Ruud reveals about Rafael Nadal's fun-loving and gracious nature as he recalls his experiences of the Latin American Tour.
Follow Us
Casper Ruud and Rafael Nadal - FirstSportz
It has been a great year for the World No 2 Rafael Nadal as he clinched two Grand Slam titles. He surpassed Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic to be the active player with the most Grand Slam singles titles in the Open Era. After having a disappointing end to his 2022 campaign at the Year-end Championship, he successfully completed the Latin American Tour with Casper Ruud. The Norwegian shares his experiences from the Tour while revealing the Spaniard’s humble side that makes him unique.
They played a few exhibition matches on the Tour starting from Buenos Aires and touring six cities to ending at Mexico City. Huge numbers of spectators dropped by during the matches in each of the cities. During the Tour, the Mallorcan won 5 times while Ruud won once in Ecuador. The Spaniard has earlier hinted that he might not return again to Mexico, at least in an official Tour event.
Nadal has inspired millions with his hard work, determination, and fighting spirit. Adding to it, Ruud revealed his off-court behavior that isn’t known to many. He stated that he has the ability to easily adjust to situations and can easily switch on and off from personal commitments. World No 3 shared about the 36-year-old’s fun side and how he enjoys the little joys of life. He further talked about how special it was to spend so much time with the former World No 1.
During an interview with Eurosport, Casper Ruud said “It’s great, but he has a sort of switch. He switches on and off on his personal side. I’m not going to go into all the details or whatever, but it’s really fun to be around. He’s not as serious and dedicated as he is on the court. He likes to have fun. He dances around a little bit and enjoys a good glass of wine, for example, for dinner. I don’t think he will be bothered by me telling this, but he’s a fun guy.“
Continuing his train of thought, Ruud added that “We had a lot of fun. He has sort of taken me under his wings a little bit with the [Rafael Nadal] Academy. It was fun to be very close to him. Of course, we were in the same hotels all the time, flying around together, so we got to see him up close more and it was fun. He’s a really relaxed guy. He was talking back home with his wife and his kids, showing me some nice videos of his son and stuff. So, we’re just normal guys. That’s what we all are in the end. “
Rafael Nadal achieved the longest Top-10 streak in ATP rankings history
Moreover, he got a couple of nominations at the 2022 ATP Awards for his triumphant 2022 season. The Spaniard has been voted as the Fans’ Favorite player of the Year. It was for the first time that the 14-time French Open champion clinched the prestigious award in his illustrious career. With the win, Rafael Nadal champion ended Federer’s winning streak of 19 consecutive titles from 2003 to 2021.
His list of accolades and achievements stands unmatched and needs no introduction. The 22-time Grand Slam champion added another achievement by maintaining his position in the Top 10 for 900 consecutive weeks. He is the first player to achieve this feat in the Open Era. He entered the Top 10 as an 18-year-old in 2005 and since then, has maintained his dominance. It is also the longest Top 10 streak in the ATP rankings history. Jimmy Connors is 2nd on the list with 788 weeks and Roger Federer at the 3rd position with 734 consecutive weeks.
After successfully completing his 2022 campaign, he looks to make a strong start in 2023. He will kickstart his upcoming season with his participation in the United Cup. Rafael Nadal will be leading Spain in the inaugural edition of the mixed-gender event which is the successor of the now-discontinued Hopman Cup. It will be followed by his participation at the Australian Open where he will be defending his title and aiming to win his 23rd Grand Slam title.
Stay Updated!
Prateek Pradhan
(601 Articles Published)