Casper Ruud on his Latin American tour with Rafael Nadal: "It's going to be a lot of fun"
World No. 3 Casper Ruud will fly to Buenos Aires for his Latin American exhibition tour with Rafael Nadal after his ATP Finals campaign in Turin comes to an end.
The tour will commence on November 23 and the opening match will see Ruud take on the Mallorcan in a singles match followed by a mixed doubles fixture. The Norwegian will be accompanied by former doubles World No. 1 Gisela Dulko, while Nadal will team up with Argentine Gabriela Sabatini for the doubles clash.
Ruud, during a press conference in Turin, sounded delighted to have been invited to the tour.
"It's something that I was honored to be invited to the Latin American tour with Rafa," he said.
"I'm not going to say it's going to be very demanding. I think it's going to be a lot of fun. Let's see when I get back. I still will have many days to recover from the jet lag and whatever," he added.
The Norwegian is also looking forward to getting a break from the sport after the tour and recharging ahead of the 2023 season.
"I think I'll just be very happy in a way when this tournament is over and the Latin American tour is over because I can just breathe out and be a normal person for a couple of weeks before a new season awaits," he expressed.
"I feel more than what I show" - Casper Ruud on how much his emotions affect focus during matches
Casper Ruud has been one of those players who is rarely seen animated on the court. He always keeps his cool during pressure situations and hardly gets swayed away by emotions.
While he appears to be calm from the outside, Ruud confessed that he does feel the pressure and intensity under critical circumstances.
"Well, I guess I'm a player and a guy who shows quite few emotions on the court. But obviously I feel more than what I show. That goes both ways, both when I'm frustrated and maybe excited," he said at a press conference.
The Norwegian outclassed Andrey Rublev in the semifinals of the ATP Finals, winning the contest in straight sets. While a convincing lead at the start of the match produced a lot of excitement, the 23-year-old acknowledged the importance of staying focused on the game.
"Of course, you're excited, but you try to keep your focus, obviously serve well. That's the most important thing here. You can get some free points with that," he stated.
Casper Ruud will take on Novak Djokovic in the title clash of the 2022 ATP Finals.