Casper Ruud

“You learn that in so many of our matches, it can all depend on just four or five points.”

“The Oslo airport used to be a kilometer away from where I grew up. They moved it outside Oslo the year I was born, but they kept the runway there as a historic site.”

“I think tennis and golf have had a large boost in participation with a lot of people wanting to take up the game since the start of the pandemic.”

“The way I hit the ball is with a pretty good amount of topspin. It's a heavy ball that bounces up from the clay courts. But I shouldn't forget that I grew up half the year playing indoors on a hard court because Norway is a cold country.”

“My father has been serious with me because he wanted me to have the best opportunities to do well. I think that has been a huge benefit for me coming from a small country like Norway.”

“Could be that I have some steak after a match to get some protein. But usually it goes Thai, Japanese or Italian, mostly.”

“I think tournaments are starting to become a bit more open with more players able to fight, and I want to be part of that bright future.”

“Even though over the last years I've had more and more success and I've been getting better on the tour, I think I've lived this kind of life as an athlete for many years already.”

“I think it's fun to play on hard courts, you know. I think it's a surface that also can suit my game even though this year has been mainly clay, clay, clay all the year.”

“Right before a match, I and many other players, tend to be very clean. Just plain rice or pasta with some chicken maybe, but not too much sauce, to just get some carbohydrates and energy.”

“I think Wimbledon is the highlight for most players, it's special. My father played there six times and never got past the first round so we have to end this bad streak, for the family and Norway.”

“There were days when you're tired or overtrained but that's when you have to be pushed if you want to go far. That's how I drove away from my competitors.”

“I'm not, you know, the guy with the biggest game or the flashy shots. But, you know, just being steady, playing every points like it really matters, I think has been working.”

“You gain respect in your opponents' minds when you win a lot of matches.”

“In golf, you definitely have your ranking. But it's a bit different than tennis. Whenever there's a golf tournament, you feel like almost anyone can win.”

“This is our job to play tennis, and be here to focus. And when you're an athlete, we say it's normal that your job is 24/7.”

“You have clay players that have maybe struggled doing as well on hard courts and those will get criticised. But you also have hard court players or grass players who maybe struggle doing well on clay, and that will always be the case.”

“That's the biggest struggle in Norway. Most of the money doesn't go to tennis.”