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Casper Ruud Monte Carlo Masters 2021
ATP Tennis Players, Tennis News

‘You need to come to all my matches!’ – Casper Ruud thanks lucky charm Rod Laver


Casper Ruud thanked the all-time legend after the 11-time Slam champion witnessed the Norwegian’s title triumph at the San Diego Open.

The 22-year-old now leads the tour in titles won, boasting a perfect record of five titles from five finals reached.

At world number 10 and eighth in the ATP ‘Race to Turin’, Ruud is well on track to qualify for his first ATP Finals.

Since going out early at the US Open, Ruud won his inaugural Laver Cup match before going on to win the San Diego Open, both in the presence of Rod Laver himself.

“Special thanks to Rod [Laver] obviously, the legend,” Ruud began his acceptance speech after Laver presented him with the trophy.

“I think you need to come to all my matches now, because I’m playing really well when you come and watch [me play]. I hope you come to Indian Wells next week to watch. So, let’s see.”

After starting the year ranked 27 in the world, Ruud has taken the tour by storm to climb into the top-10 of the ATP rankings for the first time. He is the first Norwegian man ever to be ranked within the top-10, first breaking through on 13th September 2021.

While generally considered a clay court specialist, Ruud’s San Diego title was a first on hard, signalling his intent to improve on other surfaces.

In fact, Ruud’s best Slam result to date came not on the clay of Roland Garros but at the start of this year at the Australian Open. There, seeded 24th, Ruud battled to the fourth round before retiring against seventh seed Andrey Rublev.


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