Casper Ruud has shared the court with the undisputed greats of tennis, including the Big Three, and the ‘Sincaraz’, throughout his over 10-year career. On Sunday, following a 6-4, 6-4 defeat to world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the Italian Open final, the Norwegian weighed in on the ATP Tour’s new power dynamic, comparing facing the current versions of Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz with battling the late-career versions of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.
Casper Ruud Admits Late-Career Big Three Felt ‘More Playable’ Than Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
Despite the straight-sets loss, Ruud is having a stellar season, particularly on his favored clay courts. He has consistently put himself in deep tournament runs, but the 27-year-old is currently running into the buzzsaw that is Sinner and Alcaraz, who he believes are only getting better.
In the final, Ruud jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, but he admitted he couldn’t follow up with a good service game, noting that Sinner’s return was simply too good.
“The fact is he’s an incredible player,” Ruud said of Sinner. “Me having played all of the top players in the world in my career, when he plays his best, there’s not many that can reach this level, if anyone at all in the world.”
When asked about Alcaraz fitting into that same untouchable category, Ruud agreed without hesitation: “Yeah, I think definitely those two.”
“I never played the big three in their prime. I played them in their career, but towards the end of their career. They felt more playable at that time. But I’m sure Roger, Novak, Rafa, 25, 26 years old was also the same feeling for the other players,” Ruud explained.
“I don’t see him(Alcaraz) getting any worse, unfortunately (smiling). You just have to think that you have to be better and better because he’s also going to get better and better,” he added.
Alcaraz famously beat Ruud in the 2022 US Open Final and the 2022 Miami Open Final. Recently, the Spaniard beat him at Indian Wells in 2026, though Ruud secured a massive straight-set victory over him during the group stage of the 2024 ATP Finals. Aside from the recent 2026 Rome Final defeat, Sinner also comfortably dispatched Ruud in the semifinals of the 2024 ATP Finals. Despite their H2H records, off the court, Ruud shares a good friendship with both world No. 1 and No. 2.
Meanwhile, although he struggled against the Big Three in the twilight of their careers in Grand Slam finals, he has defeated Djokovic in the semifinals of the 2024 Monte Carlo Masters.
Now, there is no time to dwell on the Rome loss. Ruud’s immediate next tournament is the ATP 250 Geneva Open in Switzerland. He is a multi-time champion at this event and traditionally uses it as his final tune-up before Roland Garros. He is scheduled to open his Geneva campaign on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, against American Jenson Brooksby in the Round of 32.
