ATP Basel: Casper Ruud: "My game is vulnerable on indoor hard courts"
Casper Ruud suffered the second defeat in a row at the ATP 500 event in Basel. In the indoor hardcourt season, the Norwegian finds a tough patch for himself.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit:
Oct 26, 2022, 05:18 pm
By Michael Rothschädl from Basel
Of course, on Tuesday in Basel, Casper Ruud was confronted with an audience that was almost entirely opposed to himself. And of course the mood got heated up in the decisive moments of the match. But: A mood like this in a first round match is probably grateful for every ATP tour. Check with Andy Murray.
The fact that the Norwegian was still waiting for his first victory in the main draw in the second round in Basel's St. Jakobshalle seemed to irk the 23-year-old. When the third in the world rankings appeared in front of the press a few minutes after the defeat against an unleashed playing Stan Wawrinka, he seemed to do so quite dejected.
Ruud pays respects to Wawrinka
"I played two bad service games, which is why I was broken twice. And I wasn't able to make up for these breaks. It's fast on indoor hard courts, it's not always easy to get chances as a receiver," he summed up Norwegian. "Stan served hard, played aggressively so I didn't find the rhythm I needed to play because he just overpowered me."
In general, the third in the world rankings paid tribute to the veteran - although the performance explosion did not really come as a surprise for Ruud. "His top level is one of the best in the history of the sport, of course there have been the last few years where he's struggled. I'm happy to see he's back and playing at that level again. Today he was too good for me."
Ruud doesn't feel completely comfortable indoors
From Ruud's point of view, however, the appearance in Basel brought a bitter realization to light: after strong weeks, the Norwegian is once again in a period of weakness. "You can never predict when a period of weakness will come. But it will come for sure," said Ruud. "I'm in a period now where things aren't working the way I'd like. I know tennis is a sport where details make the difference, so it can change quickly."
It remains to be seen whether this trend reversal will already occur on indoor hard courts - but it shouldn't be entirely likely. Because: Ruud doesn't feel completely comfortable on this surface. "Indoor hard court has not been the phase of the season in which I have performed best in the past," said the 23-year-old. "I know that this phase of the season is maybe one of the weaknesses in my game. I hope I can change that. I'm vulnerable with my game indoors sometimes. It's very fast, Stan played fast so I could find my rhythm not found."