The Ruud Awakening!

Rovesciarete said:
Still a great player and a gentleman which I always appreciate.
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Very boring style of play for me, but Casper is a sweetheart and also very handsome, so I'll give him a pass. He's stunning in person, just as David Ferrer was, though neither photograph well.

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Seems that RA70? Yonex is too stiff and only brings results when he is peaking all or nothing.
He lacks feel and confidence against bigger hitters and good defenders.

Yonex should add more feel to his setup or customize a Percept P100D to suit him.
The P100D 18x19 with ra66 has better ratings vs P100 16x19

Even during his best form he was bageled by Old Nadal on clay while Diego Schwartzman
with a softer and also longer racquet would push a slightly better version of Nadal.

The longer the racquet a tad softer ratings do help for day to day feel and average timing
 
Sooo... Something needs to change? His game isnt working outside clay at all so he needs to either become a pure claycourt spesialist, or make some major changes.

He reached USO final so the talent to do well on HC is definetly there. I really dont get the return tactics. He used to do well on serve, especially for a player at his height. His return game, especially on HC, has been a disaster. I am no coach, but there MUST be changes he can do here? He i standing same place as Nadal on return, which is a disaster for everyone except Nadal. Imo Casper has all the tools to become a much better returner than he is.

He is still young and i hope we will see some major changes. His personality is great, but also a hurdle. He is outside top10 and that should make him pis1ed, and it obviously must be changes in his staff.
 
Jonas78 said:
Sooo... Something needs to change? His game isnt working outside clay at all so he needs to either become a pure claycourt spesialist, or make some major changes.

He reached USO final so the talent to do well on HC is definetly there. I really dont get the return tactics. He used to do well on serve, especially for a player at his height. His return game, especially on HC, has been a disaster. I am no coach, but there MUST be changes he can do here? He is standing same place as Nadal on return, which is a disaster for everyone except Nadal. Imo Casper has all the tools to become a much better returner than he is.
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To be honest I think he will have a better 2024 than 2023. His serve has underperformed and the preparation was all but ideal.

Personally I think that European clay should be his focus, especially with the Olympic Games in Paris.
 
Rovesciarete said:
To be honest I think he will have a better 2024 than 2023. His serve has underperformed and the preparation was all but ideal.

Personally I think that European clay should be his focus, especially with the Olympic Games in Paris.
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Agree. Anyway, with his height and baseline-based game, im surprised his return stats are as bad as they are. He needs to get his return stats better to be a top player.

A player like Ferrer won 31-32% of his return games on HC in his best seasons, even in 2022 (a better season) Ruud only won 22%. Thats way too low. He needs to change his game to become a bigger threat on return, or else he will never return to top10.
 
Ruud has a decent volley and net game, particularly for someone with a big grip change. His mobility is a strength, but it's hard to coach an all-court game to someone used to being a power baseliner. I agree his serve and return have to improve to give him a better start to each point.
 
Some good performances from Casper Ruud and his team mates mean that Norway have reached the quarter-finals at this year's United Cup in Australia. In his most recent singles match Ruud defeated Borna Coric 6-4, 6-1. Due to his inconsistent 2023, the Norwegian will probably be seeded around no. 10 at the upcoming Australian Open, where he lost in the second round last year.
 
Well I have written before that I would be most surprised if his 2024 will not turn out better than is 2023. He was just too good before…
 
Casper Ruud has been seeded no. 11 for this year's Australian Open where he will face the 35-year-old Spaniard Albert Ramos in the first round. The pair have met six times before at ATP level with Ramos winning the first three matches and Ruud taking the next three.
 
Purcell will be a real test, I agree.
The little I have seen from Ruud in 2024 looks a bit more like his usual level though.
Unlike last seaon, where something was clearly off in several areas of his game.

If he manages to upset Purcell and the Aussie’s, he could actually manage a good run in this year’s AO.
 
Yes, an interesting second-round match coming up for Casper Ruud on Thursday in Melbourne, where he takes on home hope Max Purcell, who is known more as a doubles specialist, but who has recently been rising in the singles rankings too. In the first round earlier this week Ruud lost only five games to Albert Ramos, who was beaten 6-1, 6-3, 6-1.
 
Very tough match tonight against Max Purcell, with a fifth set tiebreaker (10-7) win for Ruud. While Casper still relies on incredible quickness and his ground game, he's at least made a few changes since last year. Chief among them was a significant difference in return position with Ruud moving up to just behind the baseline on first serves and even taking it inside the baseline on second serves! That's quite a difference, but probably not enough for Casper to be a favorite against the best AO power players. Still, he took out the Aussie crowd favorite, as Purcell had most of the home court support this match. He looks to be in good position as the 11th seed going into the third round.
 
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Another tough match today with Cam Norrie up against Ruud in the third round. This won't be a featured match on ESPN or TC, but I hope to at least catch a few highlights.
 
dkmura said:
Another tough match today with Cam Norrie up against Ruud in the third round. This won't be a featured match on ESPN or TC, but I hope to at least catch a few highlights.
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I haven't watched Norrie in a while, so I don't know what kind of form he's in. However, I think that both Norrie and potentially Zverev could actually suit Ruud better than Purcell.

Against the latter he was never really given time and opportunity to find that baseline rhythm he loves. Purcell, who I think is so entertaining to watch by the way, is super aggressive and rushes the net every chance he gets.

While both Norrie and especially Zverev are probably better all-round players than Purcell, I think Ruud just may feel more comfortable against them in a way.
But you're absolutely right, it's a tough match ahead of him.
 
Yes, a battling win on Thursday for Casper Ruud against crowd favourite Max Purcell in second-round action in Melbourne. The final score was 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (10). The Norwegian lost a lot of close matches like that in 2023, but was able to find that extra something this time around, which is a good sign. On Saturday Ruud will face Cameron Norrie for a place in the Last 16. Ruud leads their head-to-head 3-0.
 
Great match by Norrie who succeeded with his tactics and seemed full of confidence. Good aggressiveness and shot placement.
Definite step back for Ruud. Surprised to see how he returned to his old "sins" of leaning back through his shots, firing those loose, loopy backhands short in the middle of the court, and retreating farther and farther behind the baseline, both on ROS and in rallies.
 
Caught a few highlights this morning and I give Norrie full marks for taking this match to Ruud. His pace, depth of shot and pattern recognition looked excellent. This four-set match was close, but it seemed Norrie was well-prepared and relentless in his game plan. I wonder if Casper will head back to Europe and start preparations for the clay court season immediately?
 
I'm sure Casper and his team worked hard to prepare him for Oz and the hardcourt season. Wonder what his thoughts are on the results of his Australian Open campaign? Privately, he may be disappointed not to make at least a QF this year.
 
dkmura said:
I'm sure Casper and his team worked hard to prepare him for Oz and the hardcourt season. Wonder what his thoughts are on the results of his Australian Open campaign? Privately, he may be disappointed not to make at least a QF this year.
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Checked his progress last year and he had also a bit of bad luck in many tournaments except RG&some. We will see, I’m optimistic.
 
On a side note, I watched the Zverev vs. Norrie round of 16 match. I bet Cam Norrie would like to play that fifth set tiebreaker again. Too many unforced errors, DF and shot selection miscues. No matter who it is, unless you're holding up the trophy at the end, you're never really 100% happy.
 
It is very rarely that Casper Ruud reaches the semi-finals of two events at the same tournament in the same week. However, that is what has happened this week in Los Cabos, Mexico, where the Norwegian has reached the final of the men’s doubles with the American William Blumberg. Ruud is also into the semi-finals of the men’s singles event, where he is the no. 4 seed and will take on the defending champion and no. 2 seed, Stefanos Tsitsipas, for a place in the final. Their head-to-head currently stands at one win apiece.
 
Tough match tonight with Tsisipas. Ruud took the first set and is fighting hard in the second. One change for hard courts that started in Oz seems to Ruud attempting to start close to the baseline during returns. Being aggressive on hardcourts must be a struggle with someone who has as good a ground game as Stephanos, but this is a close one!
 
Amazing match with Casper Ruud holding off multiple break points and squeaking out a tiebreaker (7-4) at the end of that semi. Glad to see him take some chances (even got aced on a SABR attempt), but he went full throttle on his pinpoint groundies all match long. I didn't realize that Tsistsipas was the #2 ranked player in 2023 for holding serve, but he certainly impressed with his firepower on his serve! Ruud makes it to the Los Cabos final with a chance to climb back into the top 10 with a win.
 
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dkmura said:
Amazing match with Casper Ruud holding off multiple break points and squeaking out a tiebreaker (7-4) at the end of that semi. Glad to see him take some chances (even got aced on a SABR attempt), but he went full throttle on his pinpoint groundies all match long. I didn't realize that Tsistsipas was the #2 ranked player in 2023 for holding serve, but he certainly impressed with his firepower on his serve! Ruud makes it to the Los Cabos final with a chance to climb back into the top 10 with a win.
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good for ruud but bad for me. i bet 300 usd on tsitsipas to win set 2. can't believe he choked 0-40 set points and 15-40 set points. imagine if i cashed out for most of the profit at 0-40 or 15-40, and then bet ruud to hold and then to win set 2. could've been at like 10k usd. instead at 0. the answer to making money was right in front of my face and i didn't take action. dumb me.
 
SeeingDusk said:
good for ruud but bad for me. i bet 300 usd on tsitsipas to win set 2. can't believe he choked 0-40 set points and 15-40 set points. imagine if i cashed out for most of the profit at 0-40 or 15-40, and then bet ruud to hold and then to win set 2. could've been at like 10k usd. instead at 0. the answer to making money was right in front of my face and i didn't take action. dumb me.
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Sorry to hear this, but also sorry to see organized gambling become such a factor in sports today. It's a sucker's game with the rules so heavily biased in favor of the house. Back OT, there was another upset in the other semi with Jordon Thompson taking out Zverev, the top seed. This should be a good match and I'd love to see the coaches notes and game plans for each player to win this one.
 
Early on Saturday morning in Los Cabos 29-year-old Jordan Thompson defeated Alexander Zverev in a marathon semi-final that lasted three-and-three-quarter hours. The match ended so late that the doubles semi-final pitting Thompson and fellow Australian Max Purcell against Casper Ruud and William Blumberg had to be postponed until after today's singles final.

Ruud and Thompson have met each other three times previously in singles, at three of the majors and always in the first round. The Norwegian won two of those three encounters. At the French Open in 2018 Ruud won 6-3 in the fifth set. At the Australian Open in 2021 Ruud won 6-3, 6-3, 2-1, retired. And at Wimbledon in 2021 Thompson won 6-2 in the fifth set.
 
When was the last time two players were opposing finalists in both singles and doubles in the same tournament?
I don't watch much doubles, but it's pretty cool that Ruud and Thompson will battle it out twice in one day at Los Cabos.

Ruud looks like a different player compared to last year. Good for him!
ROS is better, second serves aren't just good but actually becoming a real weapon, and that insane forehand is back.
To me he looks quicker and livelier as well.
 
Halfdan said:
When was the last time two players were opposing finalists in both singles and doubles in the same tournament?
I don't watch much doubles, but it's pretty cool that Ruud and Thompson will battle it out twice in one day at Los Cabos.

Ruud looks like a different player compared to last year. Good for him!
ROS is better, second serves aren't just good but actually becoming a real weapon, and that insane forehand is back.
To me he looks quicker and livelier as well.
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Happened all the time when McEnroe was on tour in the 80's and played both singles and dbls, but rarely since those days. To me, it looks like Ruud and his team took a long, hard look at his hardcourt game and retooled it heavily. He still relies heavily on his incredible FH to set up points, but there's no hesitation coming to net if the opportunity presents itself. Casper's quickness can be an asset no matter where he is on court, and playing doubles can only help his overhead and volley skills.
 
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dkmura said:
Sorry to hear this, but also sorry to see organized gambling become such a factor in sports today. It's a sucker's game with the rules so heavily biased in favor of the house. Back OT, there was another upset in the other semi with Jordon Thompson taking out Zverev, the top seed. This should be a good match and I'd love to see the coaches notes and game plans for each player to win this one.
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It’s sad what sports have become. Bookies pay sports associations so much money to have their ads. Another bet I did was zverev to win set 1. He was up a break and had a bunch of chances for double break and lost. Imagine if I cashed zverev up a break and bet Thompson for the set at 9x odds. Another missed opportunity.

Now Thompson is beating Ruud too. Ruud been the better player and losing. I’ve noticed that the better player (stat wise) usually loses in tennis.

Federer vs Djoker wimby 2019
Michelsen vs Thompson the other day
Zverev vs Thompson yesterday
Ruud vs Thompson today
Kalinskaya vs paolini today. Kalin was up a set and 3-1 and lost. Then was up 5-3 in third and lost 5-7. Woke up to a huge shock when she lost.
 
Whew- don't know any other way to put it, but Casper Ruud took a big step back in tonight's Los Cabos final. Big points came and went and Casper just didn't have it. His game plan seemed to go backwards to the old waiting game. Serve seemed strained with no aces, few free points and even a few double faults. Even worse, his frustration seemed to boil over into his game as errors and missed shots mounted as he tried to hit with more topspin and angle. Despite a small comeback in the second set, Ruud lost in straights, 6-3, 7-6 (4). No doubt, Jordon Thompson played brilliantly and richly deserves his first ATP title in Mexico.
 
I didn't watch the final, but credit to Thompson for apparently finishing out a great tournament with another good win.
Gotta say I'm liking the fact that the Aussies are once again producing several exciting tennis players.
I especially really enjoy watching Purcell and Thompson.

A shame for Ruud if the final was like @dkmura described, as he has been showing some great tennis IMO. Hopefully it's a two steps forward, one step backwards process going on, rather than a full-on return to his tendencies of last year.
 
Halfdan said:
I didn't watch the final, but credit to Thompson for apparently finishing out a great tournament with another good win.
Gotta say I'm liking the fact that the Aussies are once again producing several exciting tennis players.
I especially really enjoy watching Purcell and Thompson.

A shame for Ruud if the final was like @dkmura described, as he has been showing some great tennis IMO. Hopefully it's a two steps forward, one step backwards process going on, rather than a full-on return to his tendencies of last year.
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Perhaps it was different on-court than what we can perceive from spectating, but Ruud was definitely pressing. His pace of shot is already pretty quick, but he cracked a FH when he had a small opening. For most of this tournament, his shots were pinpoint perfect, but in the final, they were the tiniest bit off. Thompson showed the ability to vary his attack quite a bit in response and also came back with a winner just when they were most needed. Ruud is showing some progress in varying and adapting his hardcourt game, so let's not sell him short. This match was one of rapidly changing momentum, and while it still resulted in a loss, Ruud seems to be learning.
 
Well so far he looks better than last year, as expected. He is a quirky player! Very good serve for his size, clay preference with extreme spin despite growing up on Norwegian hardcourt, good movement but not the best returner.

Maybe a good example of fine player with excellent technical coaching from a very young age?
 
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