Casper Ruud is cool, calm and composed

Nationality: Norwegian
Age: 25
Ranking: 06
Height: 1.83m

I FIRST TRULY understood Casper Ruud’s essence during the 2022 French Open final against Rafael Nadal, his childhood idol turned occasional training partner. While most players would have been overwhelmed facing the King of Clay in his castle, Ruud exhibited the same composure and methodical approach to his craft that he brings to every match. That he lost wasn’t the point; it was how he carried himself, with the steady demeanour of someone who knew he belonged.

Born into tennis royalty by Norwegian standards – his father, Christian, was a top-40 player in the mid ’90s – Ruud’s path to excellence was meticulously plotted. His decision to train at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca proved transformative, allowing him to model his game on his hero’s while developing the kind of relentless work ethic that defines champions. Watch him practise and you’ll see the same intensity whether he’s hitting his thousandth forehand of the day between tour stops or preparing for a Grand Slam final.

Ruud has dismantled the notion that Scandinavians can’t excel on clay. His forehand, perhaps the most underappreciated weapon in tennis, carries enough weight to push even the most stubbornly territorial players back behind the baseline. It’s a shot built through countless repetitions, much like his entire game – a testament to the power of incremental improvement over flashy reinvention.

His matches against the tour’s power players often feel like a clash of tennis philosophies. While his opponents might be looking to blast winners from all angles, Ruud plays with the patience of someone who knows that matches are often won in the small moments – a slightly deeper return here, a marginally better court position there. It’s tennis played with a protractor rather than a sledgehammer.

The next two years of Ruud’s career loom as intriguing. Despite modelling much of his game on Nadal’s clay-court mastery, he’s proven himself capable on all surfaces, reaching the US Open final in 2022 when he achieved a career-high ranking of No. 2. As the tennis landscape shifts post Big Three, players like him – those who’ve built their games on rock-solid foundations – might find themselves uniquely positioned to thrive. The question isn’t whether Ruud has what it takes to compete at the highest level – he’s already proven that he does. It’s whether he can develop his game that little bit more so he can convert his consistent excellence into defining moments of inspiration.