How Ruud Followed In The Footsteps Of Nadal, Thiem | ATP Tour

Netflix’s Break Level chronicled the clay-court exploits of Casper Ruud through the 2022 season, culminating in his assembly with Rafael Nadal within the Roland Garros remaining. Courtroom Philippe Chatrier was a becoming venue for the Norwegian’s first main remaining, performed on a floor on which he has gained eight of his 9 ATP Tour titles.

Ruud claimed his first tour-level trophy in Buenos Aires in 2020, then broke into the Prime 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings behind 5 2021 titles, together with 4 on clay. In 2022, he rose to a profession excessive of World No. 2 with an enormous serving to of hard-court success. Whereas he gained three extra titles on the filth final season, Ruud additionally reached marquee finals at Miami, the US Open and the Nitto ATP Finals to flash his hard-court credentials on the highest stage.

View Ruud’s Break Point Player Profile

Talking with the ATP Tour in late 2021 — a 12 months wherein he gained three straight clay titles in July — Ruud mentioned his confidence stage on clay and onerous courts.

“I haven’t got a whole lot of doubts in my hard-court abilities, however positively it is not so good as possibly my clay-court recreation,” he stated. “Nevertheless it’s one thing I am engaged on in fact.”

Happily for the Norwegian, he had two elite examples of gamers who had been capable of translate early clay success to different surfaces: Nadal and Dominic Thiem.

“Nadal is the right instance and I feel additionally Thiem slightly bit,” he stated. “I feel the overall media has thought of each Nadal and Thiem big-time clay-court specialists, and Nadal has gained even two instances in Wimbledon. It simply goes to indicate that it is doable for the heavy topspin gamers to play nicely on the floor.

“[Nadal] is a sort of participant that I regarded as much as for a few years and that I’ll attempt to be taught from relating to this transition from clay court docket to onerous court docket.”

Ruud studied nicely and emulated the success of each Nadal and Thiem along with his 2022 marketing campaign. The following step for the Norwegian is to match the pair by changing into a champion on the ATP Masters 1000 and Grand Slam stage.