Estoril Open draw: Casper Ruud looking for clay comfort
Casper Ruud is the top seed as the ATP Tour returns to clay at the Estoril Open, and he is probably the player happiest to get to the European clay swing.
Ruud admitted that his season hasn’t quite gone to plan so far but he hopes that Estoril will help him get into the best form before Monte Carlo.
He took a break from the tour in February and hasn’t hit his stride yet this term but he is a handy player on clay.
“My season is not naturally going as I would like,” Ruud said during media day at the Estoril Open.
“If that was because of my second pre-season in February and the fact that I played all those exhibitions with Nadal, I can’t say for sure. We will never know.’
“I don’t think I’ll do what I did in 2022 again in 2023 but it hasn’t been easy to manage my schedule because I’ve been playing the ATP Finals and then the United Cup, it starts too soon for me. It’s less than a month (between those events) and I can’t miss that competition (United Cup). My other teammates depend on me and if I don’t go, they can’t play.
“I hope to have a good tournament and good weeks on clay,” he said. “It wasn’t the ideal start to the year, so I have to level up if I want to stay where I am in the rankings. I hope this tournament is part of the success.
“The conditions are more similar to what we see in Rome, Madrid and southern Europe. The courts are similar and I always wanted to play here.
“For me, it was great that they switched it to the week before Monte Carlo because it’s nice to have a week of matches before that big event.’
“I’m very motivated and happy to be here. It’s my favourite part of the season. I haven’t played like this (on the clay) since July. I must be rusty but I have a few days to prepare and I’m excited.”
Hubert Hurkacz is at the opposite end of the Estoril Open draw.
Other interesting entries include American Ben Shelton, who has foregone the event in Houston in favour of getting to Europe early.
The No 8 seed Shelton will start his tournament against France’s Constant Lestienne.
Spaniards Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Roberto Bautista Agut also enjoy first round byes as the third and fourth seeds, respectively.
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