Casper Ruud holds no illusions about his tennis ceiling and legacy, a perspective fueled by the rise and sustained dominance of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. The Norwegian candidly shared his thoughts on Sinner and Alcaraz’s success and disclosed why he refuses to burden himself with comparisons to the duo.
Casper Ruud Shares His ‘Realistic’ Take on Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz
Although he failed to defend his Madrid Open title, Ruud has bounced back admirably at the Italian Open. He defeated the likes of Jiří Lehečka, Lorenzo Musetti, and Karen Khachanov before cruising to a commanding 6-1, 6-1 win over Luciano Darderi in the semifinals to seal his place in the final of the ATP Masters 1000 event.
During his post-match press conference, the Norwegian admitted he was outmatched by his rivals during a period when he was in contention to be one of the successors to the “Big 3,” Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, as their dominance began to fade.
“Yeah, sometimes. Sometimes you have to look at yourself in the mirror and realize it wasn’t maybe meant to be in some matches that you lose or seeing how there was sort of some openings for someone to kind of take over the throne after the big three when they seemed towards the end of their domination,” Ruud said.
“Obviously Novak is still around, still has a chance in my eyes to win the biggest titles when he’s on. I was one of the players that kind of entered my name into the discussion for a few years. I was not able to follow up. I was over- and outplayed by others,” he added.
Ruud also candidly reflected on Alcaraz and Sinner’s meteoric rise, confessing that he often wished that he were the one enjoying that level of success.
“Then you have Jannik and Carlos who have become sort of the unicorns that they have become. At times I can be at home and wish that it was me and not them. At the same time I’m realistic in thinking that they have something special in them,” he said.
“They also work very, very hard. It’s not just because they’re talented or this or that that they’re so good, they also work very hard.”
MORE: ‘It Was Intense’ — Casper Ruud Discloses Daughter’s Birth Coincided With Carlos Alcaraz’s Thriller
Why Casper Ruud Refuses to Compare Himself to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz
Although Ruud went on to admit that witnessing Sinner and Alcaraz’s dominance can be somewhat frustrating, he stressed that comparing yourself to others is the “biggest mistake” a tennis player can make.
“Their curve has been far better than mine in the last years. Has it been frustrating? A bit. But you cannot think too much about the other players. You have to stay in your own lane in this sport, try to focus on yourself as much as you can. It’s an individual sport after all. Comparing yourself to other players I think is the biggest mistake you can do. You have to trust yourself, you gut, and trust the things you’re doing are right,” he said.
The Norwegian also acknowledged a brutal truth about his legacy in the sport, saying, “Yeah, I realize I will not probably break any huge records in this sport, but I can do as well as I can along my journey and along my career.”
While Carlos Alcaraz has cut short his clay-court season after sustaining a wrist injury, Casper Ruud might get the opportunity to test himself against Jannik Sinner in the Italian Open final. The world No. 1 led 6-2, 5-7, 4-2 when his semifinal clash with Daniil Medvedev was suspended due to rain, and he will need to close out the match to set up the summit clash with Ruud.
