"We didn't say hi in the locker room for some time, you never know what's gonna come out of his racquet or his mouth" - Casper Ruud on his relationship with Nick Kyrgios
Casper Ruud is not a fan of Nick Kyrgios, and he made that clear once again following his quarterfinal defeat of Matteo Berrettini on Monday. The Norwegian defeated 13th seed Berrettini 6-1, 6-4, 7-6(4) to reach his maiden US Open semifinal and keep alive the quest to take the World No. 1 ranking.
Ruud looked sublime from the baseline and took the first two sets very quickly. The Italian showed signs of a fight by breaking Ruud’s serve early in the third set. However, the World No. 7 didn't let the contest slip, coming out on top in the tie-breaker to emerge victorious.
Speaking at his post-match press conference, Ruud was asked to give his thoughts on Kyrgios and their tetchy relationship. He praised the Australian for his tennis prowess, especially his performances this year.
"I think he has, first of all, taken big steps in his tennis this year, because he has proven that obviously he has been a very, very big talent as a teenager already and beaten the big guys already since he was 18, 19 years old, but this year he has proven that he can do it for many matches in a row, weeks in a row, week in and week out to be there and play very well. That's exciting to see," Casper Ruud said.
"It seems that he's really gone in for it this year and giving it a real shot, because he was close to being top 10 some years back, and then I'm not sure what happened after, but he sort of fell down a little bit in the rankings and has been a little bit up and down. But now he's back to I think where his game belongs and where he belongs in the ranking. It's unfortunate he didn't get points for Wimbledon, because otherwise he would be top 15 again and probably close to top 10 with his result here. We all know that he's dangerous," he added.
Small brain: Nick Kyrgios is hurt because he played too much tennis
Big brain: Nick Kyrgios is pretending he's hurt because he does not like Khachanov and wants him to think he has a chance
Galaxy brain: Nick Kyrgios is pretending he's hurt because he does not like Casper Ruud
That said, Casper Ruud made it clear that the pair had "not that much" of a relationship, though it currently isn't as cold as it was earlier.
"On the personal note, there are not that much of a relationship. I mean, we didn't say hi in the locker room for some time, but we do now, so it's better. There were a time where it was a bit probably tense after things were said back and forth, but he actually came to me in Laver Cup last year and congratulated me when I won my match, which was nice," he said.
"I think it's easier now, and things have been forgotten. Things have been said, but there is no need to dwell on the past. I mean, he's, yeah, exciting player always to watch, and you never know what's gonna come out of his racquet or his mouth, but in the end, at least he came to me and said that he was happy to see me play well. So that was nice," he added.
Casper Ruud takes on Karen Khachanov in 2022 US Open semifinals
Casper Ruud is through to his first semifinal in New York following his straight-sets win against Matteo Berrettini on Monday. He will next face Karen Khachanov, who defeated Nick Kyrgios 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 6-7(3) 6-4 in three hours and 39 minutes a few hours after Ruud's quarterfinal ended.
Ruud and Khachanov have faced each other once before, in the 2020 Rome Masters, with the former emerging victorious 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.
Casper Ruud's first two major semifinal opponents:
* Marin Cilic
* Karen Khachanov
Take care of your own business and you might be surprised how fully you can be rewarded.