Casper Ruud says Andrey Rublev is his biggest rival on tour, admits he always loses to Rafael Nadal in both tennis and golf
The organizers of the Rolex Paris Masters recently shared a video of Casper Ruud's latest fan interaction. The Norwegian registered a straightforward win over Marcos Giron in the third round of the tournament on Wednesday.
The video opens with a fan asking Ruud about his biggest rival on the tour. The 22-year-old mentioned Andrey Rublev in response, pointing out that the Russian has beaten him a lot of times (he leads 4-0 in the head-to-head).
"The biggest rival on tour... I'm still quite young so I don't think I've kind of built up that rivalry with someone just yet. But I think that I lost to Andrey Rublev many times. You know, he always beats me. So I need to try to find a way to beat him the next time. So I think, hopefully soon, it's my turn."
Casper Ruud was later asked about his relationship with Rafael Nadal. The Norwegian replied that their association has evolved with time, and that the two have gone from being practice partners to competitors.
"Rafa, of course, I got to know him a little bit better month by month," Ruud said. "We were practicing sometimes here and there and eventually now we are... playing most of the tournaments at the same time. When I started I was not even in the top 100. And now we are, maybe, more competitors."
Ruud also mentioned that he has never beaten Nadal in either of the two sports that they are both proficient in - tennis and golf.
"No, I never beat him in tennis or golf," the 22-year-old said. "He still wins everything. So he's very good on the golf course also. So someday, I hope I beat him. I will just be happy to try to win something because, like we all know, he is very, very competitive."
When asked about his taste in music, Casper Ruud said The Weeknd was his favorite band. He also recalled his favorite fan moment, which happened in Costa Rica; that was when he found a note on his boarding pass written by a staff member of the airline.
Casper Ruud books ATP Finals spot
Casper Ruud's third-round win over Marcos Giron at the Paris Masters saw him book a place in the season-ending ATP Finals for the first time in his career.
"It's been an unbelievable year that will have the perfect end to the season," Ruud told the ATP Tour website. "It's been a stressful couple of weeks and months, because it’s been such a tight Race [to Turin]. It’s been fun at the same time [and] so exciting to watch as a tennis fan."