David Ferrer to Coach Casper Ruud Starting 2027 Season

Casper Ruud will add former world number three David Ferrer to his coaching staff for the 2027 season, Punto de Break reported.

The 27-year-old Norwegian player announced the high-profile addition through his official website, aiming to recapture the form that carried him to the second spot in the ATP rankings in 2022. The alicantino assumes a new challenge to help Ruud recover the competitiveness that led him to position himself among the best tennis players in the world.

Ruud counts a palmares of 14 ATP titles, among which the Madrid Masters 1,000 conquered in 2025 stands out, and reached three Grand Slam finals although he has not yet managed to conquer any of the majors, including Roland Garros in 2023 against Novak Djokovic, besides reaching the semifinals in Paris in 2024 and conquering Barcelona and Geneva.

Christian Ruud Maintains His Role in the Team Setup

Ferrer will not replace anyone in the current setup.

Christian Ruud, the player’s father and long-time coach, will maintain his foundational role as general manager of sporting development and team coordinator. Christian Ruud will continue operating primarily from Norway while overseeing the broader strategy.

We feel very fortunate to have David in our team, Christian Ruud stated in the team’s release. We have already had the opportunity to get to know him well and we have enormous respect for everything he has achieved, both as a player and as a coach. We are convinced that he will bring a new dimension to Casper and the whole team.

Ferrer Steps Down from Spanish Davis Cup Captaincy

Ferrer will officially step down from his role as captain of the Spanish Davis Cup team following the upcoming Davis Cup Finals in Bologna, Italy, scheduled for November 24 to 29, 2026, as reported by Superdeporte and El Español. Ferrer announced on October 15, 2026, that he would relinquish the captaincy to return to full-time coaching on the ATP circuit.

The Davis Cup Finals in Bologna will be his last opportunity to say goodbye to the national team with a title, with the technician facing this appointment with the possibility of closing his cycle as captain lifting the Ensaladera before focusing completely on his new adventure alongside Casper Ruud.

After retiring as a player in 2019, the man from Xàbia assumed the captaincy of the Spanish Davis Cup team in 2022, a position from which he has been at the head of the selection during the last seasons.

This appointment marks Ferrer’s second major stint coaching an elite singles player. Between 2020 and 2021, the Spaniard worked with Alexander Zverev, who later described Ferrer as the best coach he had ever had, according to Superdeporte.

Ruud Prepares for 2027 After Inconsistent 2026 Season

Ruud enters the partnership following an inconsistent 2026 campaign.

Mundo Deportivo reported that Ruud recently discussed mental fatigue and the psychological toll of the professional tour in an interview with L’Équipe following his run to the semifinals at the Rolex Paris Masters, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz. Ruud finished the 2026 season ranked number 18 globally.

Ferrer and Ruud will begin a rigorous pre-season training block in the coming weeks to prepare for the first major of 2027, the Australian Open.