As all three medalists from the Paris Olympic Games crash out of the men’s draw at the US Open, Casper Ruud says paying in the event has had little impact on him.
This year’s tournament has seen shock defeats for Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. Making it the first time since 2000 that at least two out of the top three seeds have failed to reach the last 16 in Flushing Meadows. Alcaraz and Djokovic battled it out for gold in Paris during what was a high-quality final with both admitting they are yet to recover fully. Lorenzo Musetti, who won the bronze medal, has also lost in the third round.
Ruud, who is seeded eighth in the tournament, claimed his latest victory at the US Open on Friday by coming back from two sets down to defeat China’s Shang Juncheng 6-7(1), 3-6, 6-0, 6-3. 6-1. He has suffered from illness in recent weeks but insists that playing in the Olympics has had little impact on him compared to others.
“I think for me not it’s not very different from a usual year because I like to play those clay events in Europe after Wimbledon.” He said during his press conference.
“Obviously with the Olympics, you maybe put more effort or prepare even more. I’m not going to say you take it more seriously than any other tournament, but it’s a bigger event than 250 or 500.
“I stayed in the (Olympic) village and slept on the cardboard bed. So like when I came to Montreal I felt like a king when I was sleeping in a normal bed again.”
The three-time Grand Slam finalist is confident his recent illnesses are firmly behind him. During the French Open, he fell ill with a stomach parasite that was possibly caused by contaminated water. However, Norweigan said at the time that it wasn’t entirely possible to find a definite cause. More recently he has been hit with a case of the flu.
“I felt a little better before physically but every match I can kind of gain some strength and I can win and continue is a good kind of test and good physical preparation for whatever comes next for me.” He said.
What comes next is a showdown against Taylor Fritz who is bidding to reach the quarter-finals for a second consecutive year. The American is yet to drop a set in the tournament after recording wins over Camilo Ugo Carabelli, Matteo Berrettini, and Francisco Comesana.
“He’s a huge ball striker, hits the ball hard from both sides and serves great,” Ruud said of his next opponent.
“He’s playing at home and he’ll have his crowd with him.
I’m just going to kind of take it as a sort of underdog in a way. Both of us are fairly similar places in the rankings. I’m a few spots higher but I’m going to just try to go out there and enjoy.”
Ruud leads Fritz 2-0 in their head-to-head.
