"I have a good excuse to stay" - Casper Ruud eager to attend The Weeknd's concert in London after Wimbledon loss
Despite his early Wimbledon loss, Casper Ruud is still eager to continue attending The Weeknd's concert as the singer makes his way to London this weekend.
The Norwegian, who was seeded fourth at SW19, bowed down to wildcard entrant Liam Broady's tenacious display on Centre Court.
The Brit battled a late comeback scare from Ruud to eventually beat the 2023 French Open finalist 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 in the second round of the tournament. Broady will next face Canada's Denis Shapovalov in the third round of the grasscourt Major.
At the post-match press conference, Ruud expressed his desire to attend The Weeknd's concert in London.
Casper Ruud took a break from tennis after his French Open campaign as he visited Sweden to attend the Canadian singer's concert. The Weeknd will be touring in London this weekend, and Ruud was asked if he would still attend the concert.
The 24-year-old said that due to his doubles match, he has a reason to stay in London and expressed his eagerness to try to attend the show.
"It's tomorrow. Maybe. I think I have doubles tomorrow, so actually I have a good excuse to stay. I think I might try to catch the show, yes," Ruud said.
Ahead of Wimbledon, Casper Ruud jokingly said that he would do well to catch one of The Weeknd's shows.
“The thing is, he has two shows in the first weekend of Wimbledon. So, my motivation to do well is actually quite high, so I can catch a third show,” Ruud jokingly said.
"I think for now I'm happy with how we scheduled my year; I think I'll continue to do it" - Casper Ruud on not playing any grasscourt events prior to Wimbledon
Casper Ruud insisted he would stick to his decision of not playing any grasscourt events prior to Wimbledon in the future. The Norwegian lost the 2023 Roland Garros final to Novak Djokovic and did not play a single tournament before traveling to Wimbledon.
Instead, he took a break from tennis and visited Sweden to attend concerts and visit the museum.
At a Wimbledon press conference, the former World No. 2 said that he was happy with this scheduling. Ruud added that he will prioritize taking a break from tennis after weeks of traveling around the world and playing.
"I think for now I'm happy with how we scheduled my year; I'm still on the road traveling. It's a physical and mental kind of challenge every day that you're away from home. I had been 10, 11 weeks in a row kind of traveling around, playing tournaments. At some point you need some time at home," Ruud said.
The 2022 US Open finalist added that taking a break after Roland Garros was the "most sensible" thing to do for him.
"For me to split the season midway after Roland Garros, take a little break, is the most sensible in my kind of career and how I play, what tournaments I prefer to play. I think I'll continue to do it."
Casper Ruud will team up with William Blumberg to compete in the doubles event. In the first round, they will lock horns with Roberto Carballes Baena and Daniel Elahi Galan.