Casper Ruud makes honest French Open confession as he says ‘I’m playing better’
Casper Ruud has played down his chances of a maiden Grand Slam title at the French Open despite a recent resurgence of form.
The Norwegian is a former world No 2 and a three-time Grand Slam finalist, with back-to-back major finals reached at Roland Garros in 2022 and 2023.
Ruud was in the form of his career in 2022, when he lost to Rafael Nadal in the final, but his run 12 months ago – when he lost to Novak Djokovic – was the one high point in a disappointing season.
Having finished 2022 ranked world No 3, the 25-year-old had dropped out of the top 10 by the end of the following year – with just one title to his name.
However, Ruud has been back towards his best in 2024 with finals in Los Cabos, Acapulco, and Monte Carlo to his name, and his 26 match wins more than anyone else on the ATP.
It took until July for the Norwegian to hit 26 wins last season and Ruud is confident he is back playing better than last year.
But he shut down talk of him claiming a maiden Slam at Roland Garros, saying he will “not land” in Paris expecting to win.
Cruising @CasperRuud98 takes the opener 6-1 against Thompson.@bcnopenbs | #BCNOpenBS pic.twitter.com/WIoVm48kHg
— ATP Tour (@atptour) April 18, 2024
“I don’t think I’m a better player than in Monte Carlo, it’s only been a few days, but I can say that I’m playing better compared to last year,” he said to reporters at the Barcelona Open.
“I would love for that great moment [Grand Slam win] to come for me, but I can’t go to Roland Garros thinking I’m going to win it, tennis doesn’t work like that.
“You can dream about it, you can be convinced and try, but I’m not going to go there thinking it’s going to happen.
“I have played in two finals in the last two years, a fantastic experience that made me want the title even more, but I will not land in Paris expecting to win the trophy.”
Having risen to world No 6 following his strong start to the season, Ruud is likely to be one of the top eight seeds at the second Grand Slam of 2024.
That will boost his chances of a deep run in Paris – even if he has partially discounted his chances of winning the tournament.
Following his campaign at the ATP 500 event in Barcelona, Ruud will likely play at the Masters 1000 events in Madrid and Rome before the French Open begins at the end of May.
