Why Casper Ruud might be hitting the links to prepare for Wimbledon
French Open finalist Casper Ruud hasn’t given himself much hope of another deep Grand Slam run at Wimbledon.
Ruud was asked about preparation for the grass court season recently and the Norwegian was in the mood to crack a joke.
In comments that are sure to get somebody’s goat, Ruud said that grass is for golfers, and he might as well prepare for Wimbledon on a golf course.
“I think grass is for golf players,” Ruud said in an interview at the Miami Open.
“My preparation for Wimbledon is pretty much just playing golf, you know, before the tournament, because I feel more comfortable on the golf course than the tennis courts on grass now.
“But let’s see if it can change.”
Before Ruud took on Rafael Nadal in the French Open final, they had a friendly meeting on the golf course.
Ruud has revealed that Nadal is also an excellent golfer but says the hyper-focused 22-time Grand Slam winner isn’t much fun out on the course.
“I have played with him [Rafael Nadal] a couple of times in Mallorca. He’s very a good golfer,” Ruud said.
“No, I didn’t win. He beat me there as well.
“He’s a very, very tough competitor.
Honestly, like, a bit tough to play with, because he’s so focused. Usually on the golf course you are laughing a little bit and joking around. With him, it’s no jokes.”
Ruud is 2-3 in tour-level grass court matches and has never won a main draw match at Wimbledon, losing to John Isner in his SW19 debut in 2019 and going down to Jordan Thompson in the first round last year.
He has traditionally opted for a light preparation for the third Grand Slam of the year but the prospect of breaking into the top five of the ATP Rankings might entice Ruud to give grass a chance.
Ruud has entered the Cinch Championships at the Queen’s Club for the first time this season and is likely to be handed a favourable seeding despite his poor career record on grass.
The ATP Tour rolls into the Queen’s Club in London from Monday 13 June.
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