After delivering a slew of memorable performances this season, Casper Ruud recently revealed how he plans to keep the momentum going by playing through the ongoing off-season until the Australian Open next month.
The 2022 French and US Open finalist was in action this week at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi. During the exhibition event, Casper Ruud went down against Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets before securing third place with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday.
During one of the pressers, Ruud explained his decision to play a number of exhibition events this month, emphasizing how he is considering a full-fledged off-season only after the first Grand Slam of 2023.
“When I accepted to do the exhibition matches with Rafael Nadal, we decided to just keep going and then stop and work on my tennis after the Australian Open,” Casper Ruud said in Abu Dhabi earlier this week.
Ruud decided to keep his schedule occupied despite the absence of any tour-level tournaments after the ATP Finals in November. After finishing as a finalist in Turin, the 23-year-old accepted Rafael Nadal’s invitation to play a series of exhibition matches on the Spaniard’s Latin American tour.
The duo touched on the cities of Quito, Bogota, Belo Horizonte and Buenos Aires before heading to Mexico City, where an audience of a record 30,000-odd fans marked the culmination of the week-long tour.
Casper Ruud hails Roberto Bautista Agut as a role model, wishes to emulate his consistency
In his press conference in Abu Dhabi, Casper Ruud spoke about his goal of maintaining consistency in his on-court performances during the 2023 season. In the same vein, he highlighted how he wishes to emulate veteran Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut in his effort to accomplish the same.
34-year-old Bautista Agut, who made four semi-final appearances this year alongside a title in Doha, has not fallen outside the Top-30 in the ATP rankings since 2014.
“My tennis isn’t the most powerful, flashy or beautiful, but my goal is to stay consistent and solid. One of my role models is Roberto Bautista Agut. He showed me that if you are solid throughout the year good things can happen”, the Norwegian said.
To kick off the 2023 season, Casper Ruud is slated to compete in the ATP 250 event in Auckland ahead of his fourth main-draw appearance at the Australian Open.