ITF

22 Spring 2022 ITF World CASPER RUUD How times change. World No. 7 Casper Ruud was once a ball boy at the Oslo Tennis Arena, now he is the pride of Norway with a burning desire to ensure his smouldering career catches fire – blazes in fact. Speaking to ITFWorld ahead of Norway's Davis Cup by Rakuten Qualifier with Kazakhstan in March, Ruud acknowledges that his top 10 status necessitates a more sustained Grand Slam challenge. The 23-year-old has so far failed to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final, with his best performance coming at the 2021 Australian Open when he reached the round of 16 before an abdominal injury forced his retirement against Andrey Rublev. Suggestions of a Grand Slam-shaped hole on his CV belie the fact he has kept some exalted company of late and won two of the eight matches he contested against top five opposition in 2021. They also evidence just how far Ruud has risen in recent years, especially through the prism of Norway having a limited tennis history. To contextualise further, the nation's previous highest-ranked man was Ruud's father and coach, Christian, who peaked at No. 39 in 1995. While Ruud makes no secret of his need for a breakthrough moment on the sport's biggest stages, it ought to be acknowledged that such ambitions are a far cry from his humble – and sore – beginnings. "I have a memory of being a ball kid on this court," Ruud, sitting beside the main court at the Oslo Tennis Arena, told ITFWorld "I was the ball kid for the Norwegian Davis Cup team and I remember that I was hit by a serve in the stomach, which was a bit painful. I was young, and I remember we had fancy clothing through a clothing sponsor. I just wanted to do as well as I could as a ball kid." Ruud's ability as a ball boy remains uncertain. What is unquestionable, however, is the extent to which his on-court career has progressed since, with him becoming the first Norwegian to crack the top 10 in September 2021. Last year's ascent was fuelled by a personal- best 57 wins and five ATP 250 titles, including three in succession on the clay of Bastad, Gstaad and Kitzbuhel during a hugely profitable July. It was noted in some quarters that while Ruud was posting this trophy treble, most of the world's best were competing at the Olympic Games in Tokyo and the highest-ranked player he faced was No. 49 Benoit Paire. Nevertheless, he has consolidated his top 10 position during the intervening months, not least by conquering all before him at the Argentina Open in February. He also reached the Miami Open final earlier this month as a maiden ATP Masters 1000 title beckoned. But while a haul of seven ATP titles is not to be sniffed at and there are plenty of players with far fewer, there is a definite focus elsewhere. Roland Garros in May offers Ruud the latest opportunity to star and in the process outdo his father, who reached the round of 16 at the Australian Open in 1997. "The next step in my career would be to have a good result in the Grand Slams or tournaments where I would feel I have the most to improve," said Oslo-born Ruud. "I started well but I was not able to do as well as I would have hoped in the Grand Slams last year, so reaching a quarter-final or the latter stages is a goal for this year. Let's see if I can do it. "I know it's a tough call because Grand Slams are the toughest test we have in our sport with the toughest competition, but I will do everything I can to reach the latter stages and get a good result this year in one of the three Grand Slams left. I don't mind which one." Time is very much on his side, and while new goals have been set, the scale and historic context of what he has accomplished so far is not lost on Ruud. "It still feels fun to be the first Norwegian to make the top 10," said Ruud, who also became the first Norwegian to win an ATP Tour title when he triumphed at the Argentina Open in 2020. "Since my father stopped his career, there have not been too many players from Norway who have climbed the rankings and it was a goal of mine for many years. "My father has spoken about it so many times, saying 'the top 10 is where all the big boys are playing and that's where you want to be'. Growing up, I would always be pretty on point and know exactly who was in the top 10 and now I am there. "From an early age I thought about playing tennis on the big screens, and while there are no guarantees in this sport in terms of what you will achieve or how far you Right: Ruud broke the world's top 10 in September 2021 and has remained there ever since F U RT H E R I N FO R M AT I O N

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