Exclusive with Casper Ruud: “Clay court tennis is kind of what I live for”
Casper Ruud claimed the biggest title of his career in Madrid 10 days ago. In an interview with Tennis Majors in Rome, the Norwegian opens up about the trajectory of his career
Casper Ruud – UTS Nîmes 2025 © UTS
Tennis Majors : Casper, this is your first event played as a Masters 1000 champion, Madrid. How does it feel?
Casper Ruud : Of course, it’s a good feeling, and I will always be able to say that I won one. I don’t feel a big difference and impact on my life too much yet (smile). I still sleep the same. I still watch the same shows. I still practice the same. I’m the same guy. But when you win a Masters 1000, it adds more respect on your name and your career. I know for a fact that that when I play certain opponents, I can think : “oh, this guy has won a 1000, he’s very good”. After winning UTS Nîmes, I played Popyrin at Monte-Carlo, and I ended up losing to him. He won Montreal in 2024. He has a game to beat anyone, he can win those types of matches. So hopefully, I can have the same impact on my opponents when they play me, especially on clay. “Casper won Madrid, I need play really well.” If I can have this extra 1% or 2% on my part now, I take it.
What is the story behind the photo you tweeted of you as a child in the Caja Majica’s stands?
Casper Ruud : My grandmother had a tradition — as soon as her grandchild turned 10, she would give a special gift. You could choose to travel anywhere in Europe for a weekend — a weekend trip. So, I chose Madrid because I wanted to watch tennis. I had the time of my life. I hadn’t really been to a big tournament before, and I got to watch a lot of my favorite players. I was like an autograph hunter, just like the fans are today. There weren’t many selfies back then — autographs were the thing. I remember getting Novak’s autograph, which was really cool. I feel like I watched Soderling play Federer on the center court one evening. I think I saw Rafa practicing. I can’t remember exactly, but I just remember being really happy.
Why Madrid over any other capital city at this time?
Casper Ruud : I’m not entirely sure, but my grandmother had some family connections in Madrid. So we stayed at their place, which made the trip a bit more affordable. It just worked out well for me and my grandmother that weekend — nothing more than that.
Before Madrid, you had lost four major finals, including two Grand Slam finals and one at the ATP Finals. Did you ever think, “That’s it, I can’t keep losing all these finals,“ or was it not that intense, considering those four matches might not have been that winnable after all?
Casper Ruud : When you play a match like that, you feel like any match is winnable. But, of course, they were tough and fair losses. I just wasn’t good enough in those big finals. Carlos Alcaraz has been in my way a few times (US Open 2022), Novak Djokovic (ATP Finals 2022), Rafael Nadal (Roland-Garros 2022), then I lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas in Monte Carlo (2024).
lf I had never had won 1000 or if I don’t win a Slam, I would feel very proud of my career anyways. I’d still feel very proud of my career. But, of course, adding that Madrid trophy to the resume definitely helps. Jack Draper was playing unbelievable tennis, and he has been all year. But I kept reminding myself that clay should be my advantage — it should feel like my home court. I was trying to stay positive, telling myself things like, “I’m the clay court player here. You might be playing really well, but clay court tennis is kind of what I live for.”
I was telling myself things like that to stay positive, and it was a great match. Madrid is a bit different because it’s faster. You get more free points with the serve and so on. But ultimately, on clay, the way Rafa beats his opponents is by making them suffer, grinding them down to the backhand.
In the end, you get so tired of doing it that you almost give up. I’m nowhere near Rafa — not trying to compare myself — but that’s not exactly a secret recipe. That’s how many clay matches are won. I just tried to bring that same mentality to the match, and it helped me get over the finish line as a champion.
The last game kind of summed it up well. There was some video from a really cool angle where you could see how I kept trying to play heavy to his backhand.
At this time of the season, how do you balance the fact that it’s clay — your “home court” — with the pressure that comes from knowing it’s probably when you can achieve your best results?
Casper Ruud : Yes, from the beginning of last year until Roland-Garros, I earned around 3,000 points. I have to defend them. I’m not there yet, even though this Madrid win really helps. You think about it, but at the same time, you know rankings will go up and down. Honestly, whether I’m number seven this week, 14, or 18, I’m still going to do the work. I’m still going to be the same person, in a way, and…
Seven or fourteen are really the same, seriously?
Casper Ruud : Of course, it’s not the same, but what I mean is: when I came to Madrid, I was world No. 15, I think, or around that ranking. And when I went on court to practice here, what’s the difference? Nothing. I still play my forehand the way I play it. I still play my backhand the same.
I try to analyse tennis in general and what the new younger guys are doing well
It’s a nice feeling to show up as a top 10 player, as world No 7 or whatever. But rankings are genuinely ups and downs, while tournament wins are something you can keep forever. So, I’ve always had this kind of dream in my career to have double-digit tournament wins, which I’ve now been able to achieve. I’m at 13. I’ll have to start calling 13 my lucky number — that’s funny. I still have 1,000 points to defend, you know, with Geneva and Paris coming up. So, if I can do well in Rome and Paris, it could be a really important week.
Last year, I made the ATP Finals, but from Roland-Garros to Turin, I didn’t win many matches. Yes, with a strong clay season, you can really build momentum for the rest of the year.
At the beginning of the year, you had this interview on Tennis Channel that astonished people, where you were very open about the fact that you wanted to be less predictable on court, especially with your forehand. Where do you stand with that work now, and why are you so open about these topics?
Casper Ruud : I try to analyse tennis in general and what the new younger guys are doing well. I’ve never played Joao Fonseca, but when you play guys like Jakub Mensik, of course Carlos Alcaraz, Fils and these types of players, they hit shots that don’t come naturally to me, like the backhand inside-out or a dropshot on the first shot, or, I mean, things I would never have thought about doing before, because my game is more about a certain stability to build the points. But sometimes, quick points with surprising shots are nice to win, you know.
So, if a player plays me to my backhand, and let’s say, he gets the feeling that 90% of the time I’ll hit it cross-court, the guy can organise his game plan around that. But if I make him think, “He might rip it down the line, he might slice it, he might drop shot, or whatever,” that’s a completely different story..
I’ve experienced playing against players where it’s so tough to predict what’s coming, and I think the greatest of all was Roger (Federer). I was lucky enough to play him once at Roland Garros, and wow, I had no idea what was coming off his racket. He could suddenly hit a loopy one and then, like, knife a short slice or rip a fast one on the rise.
I’m not going to try to play like Roger, because that’s too difficult for me. But if the opponents who play me feel like, “Oh, where is Casper going to rip his forehand now? Where is he going to make the return?” That’s a good thing for my game, because too often, I get too vulnerable because I’m too predictable.
What do you expect before facing Matteo Berrettini in the third round in Rome?
Casper Ruud : I wish I could give a clear answer, but I’ll do my best. We had a really tough match almost five years ago here (won by Ruud). It was during Covid-19, so it was kind of lucky for me that there were no fans to support him. They’re probably going to be very loud on Monday, but it will be fun. I’ll experience a really, really cool atmosphere, and he will definitely feed off of it. I know he likes to play at home. He’s from here, so a hometown hero. I’ll try my best to stop him, and if I’m able to, I’ll already say in advance, sorry, but it’s anyone’s game out there, and I’d like to keep my win streak going..
