Casper Ruud reveals he will train with Rafael Nadal ahead of Roland Garros, invites Spaniard to Norway for fishing session
Casper Ruud has revealed he will travel to Mallorca after the conclusion of the Geneva Open to spend time training with Rafael Nadal ahead of the 2021 French Open.
Ruud, who faces Denis Shapovalov in the Geneva final on Saturday, is a graduate of Rafael Nadal's academy in Manacor. He often trains with the 20-time Grand Slam champion during the claycourt season, which is their favorite time of the year.
Speaking to Ubitennis after his semifinal win over Pablo Andujar, the 22-year-old Norwegian elaborated on his post-Geneva plans, which include a period of sailing and golf.
"Next week I will go to Mallorca," said the Norwegian. “I will rest 1-2 days and then I will resume training to prepare for Roland Garros. Rafa is there and I think he will want to play so after some rest I am ready for some hard training with him."
Casper Ruud joked that even though he likes fishing, he is not very keen to take part in the activity since salmon are not indigenous to the waters of the Balearic Sea.
The Norwegian, however, hopes to be invited to go sailing on Nadal's new yacht.
“There are no salmon in Mallorca, so I don't go fishing," Ruud added. “Rafa hasn't invited me to his new boat yet, but we'll see, it would be nice to go there. He should come to Norway to fish for salmon, it's a great activity!"
Rafael Nadal and I will probably play golf next week: Casper Ruud
Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud have plenty of common interests off the court. The two enjoy playing golf during their downtime and could do so when Ruud is in Mallorca.
The Norwegian admitted that Nadal was better than him at golf and that he was fast trying to close the gap.
“We will probably play golf next week," Ruud added. "Rafa has a handicap (a system that allows amateurs to compete with professionals) to zero, I have 1.8. So we're close, but he's better at the moment. Next time I'll try to beat him."