Player Features
Ruud’s Tuesday: A win & 10 pm home renovation meeting
Norwegian speaks about off-court activities
January 16, 2024
AFP/Getty Images
Casper Ruud lost just five games to reach the second round of the Australian Open.
By Andrew Eichenholz
Home renovation meetings and straight-sets wins — all in a day’s work for Casper Ruud at the 2024 Australian Open.
Many fans know the Norwegian star loves playing golf in his spare time. He even runs an Instagram channel solely dedicated to his golf game.
But the No. 11 players in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings explained after his 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 victory over Albert Ramos-Vinolas Tuesday that he did not have time to hit the links. An important Zoom call awaits.
“In the end we are humans as well, so we have things to deal with. “Currently I got a new place last year and I have to do some renovating,” Ruud said. “The only fitting time was tonight at 10 pm, so there’s going to be a Zoom call that I have to get on to decide on a few different materials and so on.
“But it’s actually something I enjoy. My mother is an interior designer, as well, so ever since I was young I was quite into it. I’ve done a few projects in the past back home in Norway. This is for my own personal use.”
People see the stars of the ATP Tour working hard on their craft, training on the practice court and in the gym, while spending hours on other forms of preparation like physio work. What they don’t see is what the players do in their free time.
“We have other things we do, as well. I mean, I like to try to stay in the zone in the Grand Slam, but just a 30-minute call in one evening shouldn’t be a problem,” Ruud said. “I’m looking forward to it. It’s the little things that we do outside the tennis court that can be, in a way, helpful when you’re playing.”
Ruud will hope to enjoy successful home renovation planning before taking on Australian Max Purcell (Purcell leads Lexus ATP Head2Head 1-0) on Thursday.
Did You Know?
Ruud has played nine sets this season and has not lost more than four games in any of them.