At a press conference after having been largely dominated by Jannik Sinner in the semi‐finals of the Masters, Casper Ruud, still a three‐time Grand Slam finalist (twice at Roland‐Garros and once at the US Open), gave a very interesting answer to the following question:
“Rafa will soon play some of his last matches. You seem to be a player who has borrowed certain elements of his style. How would you describe its impact on your generation’s style of tennis? »
Ruud : “I was shaped by watching a lot of Rafa’s tennis (…) But most of the season is played on hard, a faster surface. Like I said, I’m always trying to improve. In my eyes, it’s too late to change the type of player I am at this point. I’m 25 years old. The structure of my game is already there. I’m not going to start playing flat or change my tennis style now. But I need to be able to smooth out the blows a little more and I need to be able to take a little more risks. Alcaraz and Sinner can reverse the point with one shot. I feel like this is something my game is missing on faster surfaces. And I know that most of the season is played on hard courts so I have to improve. As far as Rafa is concerned, he succeeded. He won two Wimbledons, four US Opens, two Australian Opens, Olympic gold on hard court. It’s not impossible. »
As a reminder, Ruud has won only one of his twelve career titles (all in ATP 250) on hard court. Even if he obviously played in the final of the US Open in 2022, just like that of the Masters 1000 in Miami and the Masters the same year.
Published on Sunday November 17, 2024 at 4:15 p.m.
Belgium
