Casper Ruud is a master traveller (and pretty good at tennis)
The world No. 13 and soon-to-be dad shares his goals for 2026 and how he survives on the road for almost 300 days of the year
By Cayle Reid
CASPER RUUD has a baby on the way. Like, imminently. A few days before his chat with Esquire, Ruud tells a reporter that he’s ready to fly back to Norway at a moment’s notice if he gets a call that the baby’s coming. Reading this doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence Ruud will even make our interview. Nonetheless, Ruud does indeed show. Now, ideally, he’ll get through the Australian Open before he gets that call.
Ruud already knows his first child will be a girl. She’s due on February 1, the same date the Australian Open final will be played. This presents a potential calamity: what if Ruud makes the final and gets that call? “I think I’ll play,” he says. “I mean, I talked to Maria about it, we have a deal that if it happens at any stage before the final I’ll go home. But if I were to make the final, she will allow me to stay.”
Such a scenario is simply one a pro tennis player must prepare for, given the globetrotting nature of their profession. Ruud is away from home more often than not, The ATP tour keeps a man fairly busy, with top players participating in close to 30 tournaments every year, taking place all over the globe.
Ruud says he can be away from home for “three to four months” at a time. While you can do a lot worse than staying in luxury hotels around the globe, naturally, he gets homesick. “I think it would be strange if I didn’t,” he says. “We have a very nice and comfortable life in many ways, but at the same time it can be also a little repetitive and make you feel homesick. It’s nice to wake up in your own bed, to cook your own breakfast with food from your own fridge. It’s hard to explain, but those are the small details that make it feel nice to be at home.”
To live the lifestyle they do, tennis players need luggage they can depend on to ensure they travel in comfort, but also stay sane. While I have to assume that a player of Ruud’s calibre is staying in only the most luxurious hotels and would accept nothing less than first-class flights, that all matters for nought if he doesn’t have the right luggage with him.
As a Samsonite global ambassador, Ruud’s luggage needs are ably met. His go-to? The Proxis collection. Proxis suitcases’ outer shells are made from Roxkin™, a multi-layered material that bounces back into shape after impact, offering remarkable strength while maintaining such lightness it seems oxymoronic.
That toughness and dependability is crucial, according to Ruud. “Before I started working with Samsonite I was using bags that weren’t as firm. I was always afraid that racquets or something crucial might break,” he says. “When I have a strong suitcase like Samsonite, I know that wherever I go, my gear will be protected. When I travel so much, it’s nice to have this peace of mind that my stuff will be secure.”
Peace of mind translates to better on-court performance, which is an area Ruud is looking to improve after a down year in 2025. The goal, looking ahead, is to re-enter the top eight of the ATP rankings. “That gets you into the ATP Finals and that gets you a top eight seeding for the slams,” Ruud says. “There are a lot of perks that come with being top eight in the world.”
By this time next year, Ruud hopes to be a few spots higher in the rankings. That said, he knows how competitive the current landscape is. “There are many other players thinking exactly the same,” he says. With that in mind, he’s deliberately lowering his expectations heading into the Australian Open. “I’ve had scenarios in slams before where I’ve come into the tournament feeling great and then not performing well,” he says. “I’ve had other scenarios where I haven’t really felt like I’m playing too well and suddenly I’m still there in the second week.”
Don’t mistake those expectations for a lack of ambition, however. Ruud still believes he’s capable of winning a grand slam, he’s just taking it one match at a time. “The draw is full of great players, so no matter if it’s the first round or if it’s in a later stage of the tournament, you have to be on top of your game,” he says.
Just how long can Ruud stay on top of his game? While men’s tennis is currently dominated by players in their early 20s, the previous generation’s big three all remained at the top well into their late 30s. Ruud, who is 27, doesn’t quite believe he’ll have the longevity of Djokovic, Federer and Nadal – “Those players were unique,” he says – but he does think his best tennis is ahead of him. “I don’t think it’s realistic to say I’ll still be in my peak at 37, but I see no reason why my next five years can’t be as good as my last five years. Until I’m closer to 33, 34, I think I’ll still be in my peak years hopefully.”
Ruud’s 2026 Australian Open campaign began with a win over Mattia Bellucci. He’s well positioned to make a deep run, but that may be out of his hands. Whatever the case, he’ll be well equipped to handle whatever life throws at him.
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