Annual report Casper Ruud: "Everything is great, but something is still missing"; Good
The Norwegian Casper Ruud has had a formidable year 2022 - but something is still missing to achieve the top mark in our annual report.
by Stefan Bergmann
last edit: Nov 30, 2022, 05:02 pm
One look at Casper Ruud's ranking history in 2022 is enough to state with certainty that it has been a really good year for the Norwegian. In the spheres in which the 23-year-old moves, a leap of five places from eighth to third place within one season is more than just a small exclamation mark for the future.
Dad and long-term coach Christian can be satisfied. In 2022, his offspring won tournaments seven to nine in Buenos Aires, Geneva and Gstaad. Switzerland in particular is good ground for the northerner, as he had already won the two clay court events in the Alps last year.
Great endgame successes are still missing
But of course - as nice as the triumphs in the European sand court summer may be, Ruud got the basis for a podium place in the end-of-year ranking elsewhere, namely in the Grand Slam tournaments, at least in two of them. While he had to pass "down under" at short notice due to an ankle injury and the grass surface at Wimbledon may not (yet) be one of the right-hander's favorite runs, Ruud raced into the majors in Paris and New York right up to the respective finals.
Participating in the finals at the Masters tournament in Miami and at the ATP Finals in Turin were also really great successes for the man from Oslo, who was known as a pure clay court specialist until the beginning of the season just ended. This attribution is now finally over, the nine-time ATP champion also knows how to inspire on hard courts.
What is still missing for a "very good" in the annual report? The endgame successes on the really big occasions. Nine career titles aren't bad at 23, but they've all been clinched in 250cc events. Should Ruud be able to hit the Masters and Grand Slam level in the coming year, we will probably not be able to deny the likeable third in the world rankings the best rating in 2023.
The greatest successes of Casper Ruud 2022:
- February 13, 2022: Seventh tournament win in Buenos Aires, Argentina (250)
- April 3, 2022: Participation in the finals in Miami, USA (1000)
- May 21, 2022: Eighth tournament win in Geneva, Switzerland (250)
- June 5, 2022: Participation in the final of the French Open, Paris, France (GS)
- July 24, 2022: Ninth tournament victory in Gstaad, Switzerland (250)
- September 11, 2022: Participation in the final of the US Open, New York, USA (GS)
- November 20, 2022: Participation in the finals of the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy