“Maybe I should stay at home in the future” – Ruud jokes about his bad run this autumn

Still in the race to qualify for the semi-finals of the ATP Finals despite his two-set defeat against Alexander Zverev on Wednesday, Casper Ruud is finally playing his best tennis in Turin after a big dry spell this autumn on the ATP Tour.

After a quarter-final finish at the US Open, the Norwegian has only won one match in six tournaments played, a very poor record for a long-term member of the top 10. Asked at a press conference on Wednesday evening about the reasons for these poor results at the end of the 2024 season, Ruud mentioned that the courts that were faster than he’d ideally like, while also jokingly referencing a slimmed down end-of-season schedule next year.

“After the US Open, I didn’t really regain my confidence. Physically, I didn’t feel very good either,” Ruud said in his post-match press conference following the loss to Zverev.

“I did my best. Sometimes you play against players who make you more uncomfortable than others. Honestly, in the last few months, I’ve found the courts on the tour to be very fast. Maybe that’s not what I like. That’s okay. I’m not going to complain about it or make excuses, but I found it difficult.

“I don’t have the answers because I lost a few close matches. But that’s tennis. Anyway, I’ve never been very good in autumn. Maybe I should stay home in the future. Who knows (smiles).

“It’s not good for your confidence either when you lose five or six games in a row. Maybe it’s better to stay on the couch and watch tennis instead of playing and losing!”

Ruud satisfied with his level in Turin

Having qualified for the ATP Finals for the third time in his career, Ruud has now found a court that suits him perfectly. In his first two appearances at the Italian event, the Norwegian reached the semi-finals in 2021 and was runner-up in 2022. And in 2024, he seems to have regained all the form and confidence he lost after the US Open.

In the press conference, Ruud was smiling when talking about his current level of play in Turin. On Monday, he earned his first win against a top-three player on hard courts by beating Carlos Alcaraz, enough to give him the confidence to go toe-to-toe with an inspired Zverev on Wednesday.

“In the first match, I played well. Today, I think I played pretty well. I just wasn’t good on the important points. I didn’t manage to break Sascha. I got off to a bad start in the tiebreak. But that’s how it is. Overall, I’m happy with the level I’ve reached so far. I hope I can do the same on Friday night.”

He will look to qualify for the semi-finals against Andrey Rublev, who is currently last in the John Newcombe group with two defeats.

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