In 1995 a lone Norwegian by the name of Christian Ruud took to the courts of Bastaad. He reached the final before being beaten, a rare moment where success appeared within the grasp of Norwegian tennis. Fast-forward twenty-one years and Norway might just have that chance again. The name of the player that might just put Norway back on the tennis map? Also a Ruud, but this time Christian’s son, Casper.
Casper at present is showing promise that projects to see him eclipse the dizzying heights of no.39 that his father reached in October 1995. At seventeen years of age, he stands at an even 6’0 though may still grow taller. He is right-handed with a two-handed backhand.
In a tennis context that seems to be flitting between generations Ruud is shaping up to be one of the biggest talents to rival those who have already become headline acts such as Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, and Taylor Fritz.
Where his strengths and talents lie are already evident in his young career. Ruud is a formidable baseline player, consistent on both wings, and with the mental courage and understanding required of a player that could go to the very top. He played a drop -shot for a winner on just the third point of his first ever Challenger final. His mental strength is evident even from the matches he has played below the ATP main level. His game suit clay and indeed that is where his three titles to sate have come on. He has shown an aptitude for hard-courts, reaching two finals in Norway and the United States.
In his third event of the year, he reached (after first qualifying for the main draw), the final of his first Futures event in Paguera, Spain. A highly impressive semi-final demolition of Pole Kamil Majchrzak ensured he reached a first final against Carlos Taberner. Taberner led by a set and served for the match in the second set. However, Ruud recovered, won a tie-break before pulling away with a bagel in the final set. Further semi-finals and a mouthwatering first career meeting with Stefanos Titsipas, another highly rated youngster ended in a victory for the Greek this time. But Ruud is likely to earn many more opportunities to face Tsitsipas again, though perhaps not at the Futures level.
A further Futures title and runner-up showing followed before Ruud entered the qualifying rounds of a Challenger for the first time. Four times in the course of the event he would recover from the loss of the first set to emerge the victor, against Carlos Gomez-Herrera, David Perez Sanz, Inigo Cervantes, and Pedro Cachin. His victory over Cervantes, himself a five-time clay Challenger titlist, is perhaps the most impressive in Ruud’s history to date.
- Ruud won his first Challenger as a qualifier in Seville.
Ruud is still just seventeen though he turns eighteen in December. He is still far from the finished article. Since his impressive debut title at Challenger level he has suffered defeats. A comprehensive thrashing by Gerald Melzer evidences the need for more consistency, and he suffered a straight-sets defeat to Viktor Troicki in his ATP debut on the hard courts of Chengdu. As further somewhat more disappointing defeat to Andrea Collarini followed. That being said, Ruud looks arguably as good as any clay specialist youth moving up the ranks at present.
Unsurprisingly, Ruud’s biggest idol is Rafael Nadal. Ruud: “He’s my big idol ever since I was a little kid. He’s very intense and has an extreme style of play,”. Ruud may have some work to do to emulate Nadal, as Nadal had already won an ATP match before the age of sixteen. but emulating Nadal is not Ruud’s only goal. Ruud: “Tennis isn’t that big in Norway, but I hope that it’ll blow up a little bit more there if I do well,”. Norway has not had a player competitive in the Top 100 since the days of his father, and with the well documented successes of rival Sweden, Ruud is keen to start earning glory for a nation that has had to watch others succeed in the sport.
It is fair to say that Ruud is perhaps not an all-surface player. His junior record at Wimbledon saw a loss in the second round as his best effort. However, the future of tennis looks so competitive with the likes of Zverev, Thiem, Fritz and so many others that an conquering player like today’s Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, or Rafael Nadal could be a thing of the past. Ruud has embraced his strengths and made clay his own so far. His potential is already apparent. His ranking at present sits beneath no.250 but expect that to rise dramatically next season and do not be surprised if he finished 2017 inside the Top 100, even the Top 50. How he will then fare against the established elites within the game and how far he can truly go remains to be seen.
