– Have you ever heard a Norwegian do it? Casper Ruud asked the judge and was clearly annoyed. In position 2–2 in the second set, in a long and demanding game, the Norwegian was disturbed by a spectator just before a serve. Ruud thought it was a fan of the opponent Francisco Cerundolo behind. “How many times can they shout before I can demand anything,” Ruud asked. The judge agreed that it was not polite of the spectator, but without Ruud being happy with the answer. – I just ask you, why can’t you answer my question? “It’s funny that you can never give a clear answer when we ask you something,” he said. “That’s because there’s no answer to it,” replied the judge. Ruud won the game and continued the discussion with the judge afterwards. “I know you are doing your best, but saying please don’t, it’s not enough,” said Ruud, who got much of the audience against him after the discussion. – I heard it a couple of times. We can’t go into people’s heads, the judge said. – But let’s say you had been stricter, then they hadn’t done it again. If you give me a new first serve, then he will never do it again. “But I can’t do that,” replied the judge. Ruud finally won the match 6-4, 7–5 and is ready for the final in the Masters 1000 tournament. If he wins it, it will be Ruud’s biggest tournament victory in his career. IMPORTANT VIEW: With the final place, Ruud is back in the top ten in the world rankings. Photo: Juan Medina / Reuters / NTB struggled with pain Early in the first set, Ruud took a medical timeout, to get treatment for what he described as a sharp chest and back pain. – I was honestly not sure if I would be able to finish the match. I felt something in the ribs during the heating. I felt it on almost every kind. Fortunately, I received some quick treatment and some painkillers, says Ruud after the match in an interview shown on TV 2. In the final, Ruud meets the winner of the match between Jack Draper and Lorenzo Musetti. FIGHT WITH PAINS: Ruud got trouble early in Friday’s match. Photo: Juan Medina / Reuters / NTB opened up mental challenges – I don’t want to go into it so detailed, because I’ve had a little mental … Casper Ruud let the word hang a little at the press conference after Thursday’s quarterfinals in the Madrid Open, where he beat Daniil Medvedev. On the field he had described that he had been missing a little “four” in the game in recent weeks, but that it was now on his way back. Inside the press conference, he eventually followed up: – In a way, I have not felt good mentally this year. But I have sought help, which has really helped me, Ruud said. -Felt I needed help Ruud points to life on the ATP tour as demanding, where the season runs from the end of December to the beginning of December the following year. – It’s a tough life in many ways. There are many travel days and it only came to a point where I felt it was too much. I’ve really sought help, Ruud said. Ruud compared it all to being in a hamster wheel. – You sacrifice certain personal things and family time, which sometimes feel heavier than other times. It ended with a feeling that I ran into a hamster wheel and that I never got away, or that you are stuck and feel that you have to jump out to see where you are on you are on your way and how you feel. Now he is aware that he feels far better. – I am happy to feel more joy and that I feel that I am in Bet better place. I feel I wake up every day with a smile on my mouth, so I’m glad I was honest with myself and felt I needed help, he said. – Feeling you live in a Bag tennis expert Ola Bentzen praises the openness of Ruud, and thinks it is smart of Ruud to talk about it to create some understanding. – It is very nice that he is open about such things. It is quite natural after many years on the tour, and he began to travel a lot as a junior, says Bentzen about 26 -year -old Ruud. Bentzen points to the mental as crucial to a tennis player. – You see that there are many aspects of the mental. One thing is to cope with pressure and nerves, and then this is on motivation and coping with life. You have to be hungry to be there and to play week in and out, he says. He himself was active at the college level and points out that it was initially very exciting to travel around. When you eventually returned to the same places year after year, a bit of the tension around it disappeared. – You feel you live in a bag more or less all year. He has taken some steps in recent years with having a lot of family, and from what he says, I think it has been crucial, says Bentzen. Published 02.05.2025, at. 18.08 Updated 02.05.2025, at. 18.22
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