Generali Open Kitzbühel: Casper Ruud plans to start in 2022
Casper Ruud would like to defend the title he won in summer 2021 at the Generali Open in Kitzbühel. The Norwegian explained in the run-up to the ATP Finals in Turin.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Nov 13, 2021, 08:59 am
In the summer of 2021, Casper Ruud became a pieceworker: First the Norwegian won the title in Bastad, then it went to Gstaad, the third trophy within three weeks was then in Kitzbühel. Under difficult conditions: On the one hand, the efforts of the many matches slowly made themselves felt at Ruud. On the other hand, the weather in Gamsstadt didn't always play along. The final victory against Pedro Martinez was only ensured under floodlights.
All of this seems to have been a lot of fun for Casper Ruud. When asked, he said at the Media Day before the ATP Finals in Turin that he was planning a similar tour in the coming year. Bastad is close to his home. And with Gstaad and Kitzbühel you get the rare opportunity to play tennis in the Alps too. The passionate golfer Ruud has known since last year at the latest that you can tee off well in Tyrol.
Ruud starts against Djokovic
In Turin, Ruud starts as a rookie, having caught three opponents in the group, Novak Djokovic , Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev , who, like himself, prefer to operate from the baseline. And above all, don't rely on their serve like Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, Matteo Berrettini and Hubert Hurkacz in Group B. Like Ruud, the Pole is contesting a season finale for the first time, and expectations shouldn't be too high for either of them.
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Of course, Casper Ruud has nothing to lose after his outstanding season. And in recent years, Grigor Dimitrov (2017), Alexander Zverev (2018), Stefanos Tsitsipas (2019) and defending champion Daniil Medvedev have not necessarily won those players who were previously at the top of the list of favorites. Novak Djokovic is sure to be there again this year, not least because of the break the Serb took after the US Open. Casper Ruud is the first to test how good Djokovic is after his triumph in Paris-Bercy. On Monday at 2 p.m. (live on Sky).
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