Strange match that has played today Casper Ruud in the ATP Finals 2022the Norwegian has jumped onto the track knowing that he already had his homework done and perhaps that has made him face the game against Rafael Nadal with excessive relaxation. Despite this, Ruud is happy with his performance and looking forward to the semifinals, for which he still does not know who his opponent will be.
Different mentality to face the game
“Yeah, sure I felt a little different. It is not often that you are in a situation like this. This is the only tournament where there is a group stage. I didn’t imagine being first and already classified after two games, but luckily I was. Today in a way I was able to take some relaxation, of course, like any other game. But at the end of the day, you just want to get over it and not risk anything in terms of injury, maybe because playing too much or being there too long knowing that I need to be ready for Saturday because whoever you play against is going to be tough has made me take the game. a little different.
Facing Nadal
“When you play against Rafa, you want to play well. Yeah, there was nothing at stake except some points (200) and some extra match prize money. It wasn’t like the last time we played, a Grand Slam final. It was a little different. But I just tried to keep my level, to have a good rhythm, as I said, without risking too much in terms of my body and the physical aspect of the match.
Monitoring and fans of tennis in Norway
“It’s growing. Tennis and golf got a big boost when the coronavirus hit because you had to stay at home and people wanted to try something new. A lot of people, kids growing up in Norway, have the option to play at least before. I know people who picked it up after coronavirus after not playing for many years I know people started playing for the first time and thought it was cool It’s growing even though football and winter sports are the biggest sports in Norway .Everyone loves to watch the Premier League, that’s what they get on TV the most. Although I suppose if the time is right, on the right day, people will watch tennis too. But it hasn’t become a big culture yet like Sweden, for example, which had great legends. I hope to continue doing well and that many children can choose tennis as their sport.”
Djokovic level
“I didn’t see him in the first game against Tsitsipas. It was quite late. I had dinner or something. But I watched a bit against Rublev and I thought he played phenomenal. I mean, he seems to be in a great place both physically and mentally. I guess this year he hasn’t played so much he’s very prepared for this event. I think it’s just one of the nine or ten tournaments he’s played this year. I’m sure he’s ready. He looks fresh as I said. Regarding tennis, I think that on this surface he is the best player in the world. As I said, maybe also in previous days, no offense to Carlos because he is ranked No. 1 and will finish the year as No. 1, but if I have to choose one on hard court indoors, because my life depends on it, I would choose Novak to play that set or match to win it, I hope I can play him, it would mean we have reached the final.
Downturn after the US Open
“I think the US Open was obviously a tough physical and mental tournament in a lot of ways. It was a lot of fun, but after something like that you’re pretty tired. Five days after the final, I was playing Davis Cup in Norway and a week or six days later I was playing Laver Cup in London, and then I went to Asia. I had a very busy schedule and I felt a little tired and without energy. Too many different time zones, change of continent, it was quite tiring, but already planned to play those events before the US Open happened, so I felt a bit compelled to play and go to Asia. I hadn’t played in Tokyo before, I hadn’t played in Korea before. I wanted to try and see how it goes.”
Difficulties on indoor track
“In Basel and Paris I didn’t do as well as I expected, but it wasn’t because I felt tired. Here I am in the semi-finals I played some great matches and it’s a good result for me to end the year in a good way. Of course, I’d like to try to go one step further than I did last year, to see if I can reach the final, although I’ll have to play very well. Energetically and mentally I feel ready for it. I’ll be ready to give it my all on Saturday.”
The importance of parents as coaches in Norway, Haaland and he have been guided by them
“It’s always very debatable if having the father or parents as coaches is good or not. In this case, I think it’s been good. In other cases it can be too much. I don’t think there’s a simple answer to that. For the three of us that it’s worked. I’m not sure if Haaland’s father has coached him all his life. At least he’s been a footballer before, he knows what it’s all about. I can imagine he’s been very involved. I guess we’re young, hungry to do well, just focused on our sports. That’s all. It’s not like we had a phone call when we were 10 years old and said, Let’s do well everyone. It’s not something you can plan. It just happens. Sometimes it’s coincidence.”
