“He will be a dangerous player for sure; Let's see if there will be some drama or not, but I'm ready for anything” – Casper Ruud on potential US Open semifinals against controversial rival Nick Kyrgios
Casper Ruud spoke about a potential US Open semifinal against Nick Kyrgios in his recent on-court interview. Casper Ruud scored an enormous win against Matteo Berrettini in the opening quarterfinal match on Tuesday.
In the on-court interview, Ruud went through his performance against the Italian and also touched upon a potential semifinal encounter against Nick Kyrgios, also hinting at their long-running feud.
The 23-year-old, who earned a straight-set victory against Berrettini, said that he had one of his best starts in the match. He also spoke about feeling nervous and losing momentum at the end of the second set.
"That was a better start than I ever had before. Everything was going my way, I hit all the spots I needed to, Matteo (Berrettini) maybe didn't serve as well as he usually does. (I) Got a little bit nervous at the end of the 2nd set because things were almost going too well,” he said.
Casper Ruud sealed the victory by staging a comeback in the third set, where he was down a break. The Norwegian saved two set points at 5-2 in the third set and settled the score at 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (4).
CASPER RUUD IS MOVING ON!
Ruud advances to the Semifinals of the #USOpen with a straight sets win to Matteo Berrettini. https://t.co/bUeGxtZjat
Through to the semifinals, Ruud spoke about a potential semifinal against Nick Kyrgios. The Norwegian acknowledged Kyrgios’ recent form and his accomplishments this year.
“He's reached the final at Wimbledon and he's in the quarters here, so obviously he has improved. He will be a dangerous player for sure,” Ruud noted.
He also hinted that he would be prepared for any drama from the mercurial 27-year-old.
“Let's see if there will be some drama or not, but I'm ready for anything,” he announced.
Ruud, whose win confirmed him a top-3 spot in the ATP rankings, will also be contesting alongside Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz for the World No.1 ranking currently held by Daniil Medvedev. When asked about the prospect, the current World No. 7 said that he did not want to stress about the possibility but was hopeful of his chances.
“Yeah that’s something that’s also on the line, I think there are Carlos (Alcaraz) and myself at this point at the moment. I don’t want to think too much about it, honestly. It’s of course something that all young players dream about, so if I am in a position to do it, let’s see if I can accomplish it,” he said.
What is the Casper Ruud – Nick Kyrgios feud?
Casper Ruud and Nick Kyrgios have some bitter history going way back to the 2019 Italian Open. The Australian had an unsightly outburst while competing against Ruud which saw him smash his racket in anger, after which he proceeded to throw a chair in the middle of the court. Kyrgios was disqualified for the misdemeanor, following which, Casper Ruud publicly called Nick Kygrios an “idiot” and asked the ATP to ban the Australian for six months.
Crazy scenes in Rome.
Nick Kyrgios channels his inner Bobby Knight, throws chair, is disqualified.
#ibi2019 https://t.co/te5Kkz6e8v
Kyrgios had a few unkind words of his own for the Norwegian, as he declared that he would “rather watch paint dry than watch him play tennis”. He also accused Ruud of "stealing points" after the youngster won back-to-back ATP 250 clay court tournaments in 2021, while many players were contesting the Olympics.
Most recently, the duo met at the 2022 Indian Wells Masters, where the Australian crushed Ruud in their third-round clash. Following the match, Kyrgios teased Ruud for his silence after the loss.
"I hear no talking now, none. F**ing none. Nothing," Kyrgios said.
Nick Kyrgios will have the chance to compete against Casper Ruud if he is able to emerge victorious in his quarterfinals clash against Karen Khachanov.
Also Checkout:- US Open 2022 Schedule