SFor a few years now, tennis coaches have also been occasionally asked to speak at press conferences. Christian Ruud from Oslo, 50 years old, and Casper Ruud from Oslo, 23 years old, appeared first that day. As the name suggests, the older R. is not only the coach of the younger one, but also his father. As they spoke, one could not tell the difference between the two with one’s eyes closed. Same first class English word choice, no stutters in intonation, no spikes in volume, same smooth flow of sentences. Stop Norway.
Christian Ruud was the first player in his country to make a name for himself in tennis, his best position in the world rankings was 39. His son has long since overtaken him – in a way that has given tennis a different meaning at home could get out of the niche existence. Casper was the first Norwegian to win a title on the ATP Tour – there are now nine.
He was the first to reach the final of a 1000 tournament and, most importantly, he was the first to reach the final of a Grand Slam tournament in Paris that year. If he reaches the final of the US Open on Friday (9:00 p.m. CEST on Eurosport) by beating Karen Khachanov from Russia and Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz does not make it, then he will be at the top of the world rankings in the coming week. Not Nadal, not Djokovic, not Tsitsipas or Zverev, but Casper Ruud.
“There is something special about this place”
Of course, the father is proud of his son’s development, to which he has contributed a great deal. Earlier when he dragged the junior with him to all sporting activities that had anything to do with balls and later when he became his first coach. After that, someone else took over the job, but when he left, Casper asked the father to take regular care of him again. “Of course, another coach can do a lot for you,” he says, “but if it’s your father, then you have the feeling that he cares even more about you.”
Christian Ruud says he can pass on all the things he learned as a player and most importantly he can help the son avoid stupid mistakes that happened to him on his own path. There is also development aid from Spain – Ruud trains regularly in Rafael Nadal’s tennis center in Mallorca. It should remain so for the time being.
He’s won eight of his nine titles on the tour on clay, and yes, he’s a bit surprised to have made it to the semifinals in New York. “But I think I’ve developed my game on hard courts a lot in the last year or two and I’ve proved to myself that I can beat good players here too.”
Also, a look at the Flushing Meadows gallery of past winners in the locker room showed him that Arthur Ashe Stadium had more diverse players winning the title than any other Grand Slam tournament. “I guess,” says Norway’s contribution to diversity, “there’s something special about this place. It’s the city of dreams, somehow.”
