The main draw of the Gonet Geneva Open began on Sunday with the first two matches. On this Whit Monday, Andy Murray will be the attraction of the day at the Parc des Eaux-Vives, while waiting for the debuts of Novak Djokovic and Casper Ruud, scheduled for the second round.
Norwegian Casper Ruud appeared before the media on Monday morning. The opportunity for the double winner of the tournament (2021 and 2022) to return to his form before this tournament, he who remains on an elimination in the 2nd round of the Masters 1000 in Rome 10 days ago.
Casper Ruud:
Translation: “The last two tournaments may not have gone as well as I would have liked, but that’s okay. There were many other good tournaments this year. And yes, Barcelona was a fantastic week for me. The week before Monte Carlo was also a very good week, as I reached the final. Of course, I would have liked to do better in Madrid and Rome, but that wasn’t possible. So the next two tournaments will be very important. In the last two years, Geneva and Paris have been very important for me. The tournaments went well. That’s why I’m back, because I want to get that feeling back and hope to have two good weeks here and in Paris. Geneva has always been an important tournament in my career, so I hope I can stay here until Saturday.”
At the Parc des Eaux-Vives, the organizers of the Geneva Open have long come up against the players’ desire not to play a tournament the week before a Grand Slam tournament. In recent years, the trend has been reversing. Casper Ruud himself admits that it is not a problem to play the week before Roland-Garros (whose main draw begins on Sunday).
Casper Ruud:
Translation: “I think my body can handle it and if I play well the week before a Grand Slam it’s a good thing, I get a bit of momentum and it gives me confidence. The last two tournaments in Madrid and Rome didn’t go as well as I had hoped. I didn’t play as many matches as I would have liked. If I had done well in Rome it might have been easier to rest this week and be ready. But I lost in the first round in Rome so I’m here to try to get back to my fitness level and hopefully start a good winning streak.”
The Norwegian, currently ranked 7th in the world, has even looked ahead to the 2024 edition of Roland-Garros, which may be the most open in a long time. Aged 25, Casper Ruud is still playing after a first Grand Slam title. For the man who remains an unfortunate double finalist at Roland-Garros, the competition should not be buried too quickly.
Casper Ruud:
Translation: “I can be happy that I have reached the final two years in a row, which is obviously very reassuring for me and for my competitors. Every time I play against someone, they will know that I have reached the final. There are two times when I can play well at Roland Garros. So this year, it will be an open tournament. There may not be a big favourite to win the tournament, but there are several. And of course, I hope to be part of the group that aims to win the title. Obviously, it is a big goal but there are five, six guys in my eyes who can really have a great chance to go far and maybe win the tournament.”
But before leaving for Paris, Casper Ruud obviously hopes to win the tournament for a third time. For his first match, he will face the winner of the duel between the Australian Hijikita and the Austrian Ofner.
