Casper Ruud says he is playing at a higher level compared to 12 months ago but doesn’t intend to head into the French Open believing he can win.
The world No.6 has experienced a strong start to the clay swing by reaching the semi-finals of the Estoril Open and then the final of the Monte Carlo Masters when he was denied the title by Stefanos Tsitsipas. Ruud is currently playing at the Barcelona Open where he is through to the quarter-finals after beating Alexandre Müller and Jordan Thompson.
“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 told reporters on Thursday.
Ruud has enjoyed various successes on the clay throughout his career with nine out of his 10 Tour-level titles being won on the surface. He has also reached the final of the French Open in 2022 and 2023. Since the start of the 2020 season, he has won 100 matches on the clay which is more than any other player on the ATP Tour during this period.
However, the 25-year-old is keeping grounded heading into this year’s French Open which will get underway next month. Despite being a former world No.2 player, he is still yet to win an event of any kind above the ATP 250 level.
“I would love for that great moment 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.” He explains.
“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.”
Ruud currently leads the ATP Tour in wins this season with 26 to his name. Although only eight of those victories occurred on the clay.
Should he go on to win the Barcelona Open title this week, it would be the most prestigious title he has won in his career so far.
