Ruud On Gameplan vs. Alcaraz: 'Fight Fire With Fire'

  • Posted: Apr 04, 2022

Ruud On Gameplan vs. Alcaraz: ‘Fight Fire With Fire’

Apr032022

Miaimi finalist will rise to new career-high of World No. 7

Casper Ruud was the first Norwegian man to contest an ATP Masters 1000 final Sunday at the Miami Open presented by Itau. Though he was not able to capitalise on a strong start against Carlos Alcaraz in the title match, he leaves South Florida happy with his overall performance at the event.

“On the results side, I’m very happy with my result here in Miami,” he said following a 5-7, 4-6 defeat. “Of course disappointing that I couldn’t go all the way, but I didn’t expect myself to reach the final in the first place, so I can’t be too upset about it.”

The 23-year-old came out hot against the flame-throwing Spaniard, winning the first three games of the match and leading 4-1 before Alcaraz turned it around in Hard Rock Stadium.

“In our previous match, he was coming at me almost firing flames at me,” Ruud said of their Marbella meeting last April, a straight-sets win for the 18-year-old. “So the idea was to try to fight fire with fire, if I can say it that way, and come out and make him a little bit uncomfortable with how hard I would be hitting the ball, because then he wouldn’t have time to set up his shots.

“I started very well and hit some good winners, big winners and some big forehands. That was the idea.”

Ruud feels both players have improved since that meeting on year ago on the Spanish clay. After crediting Alcaraz’s improved physique, he placed the Miami champion alongside Gael Monfils and Alex de Minaur as one of the best movers on the ATP Tour.

“He has kind of that very quick feet movement but also a lot of firepower in his groundstrokes,” Ruud assessed. “And he serves not incredible but heavy and good enough, and he can mix it up well, going out wide. He goes kick serve sometimes on the first serve.

“I have seen Rafa talk about him, saying that he has all the ingredients to make a good salad, and I think that describes it very well,” he added with a smile.

While Alcaraz became the first Spanish man to win the Miami title, Ruud also made national history by making Norway the 33rd country to be represented in an ATP Masters 1000 final throughout the 33-year history of the series (1990-2022).

“I hope it can be part of putting Norway a little bit more on the map of tennis worldwide,” he said of his Miami run. “It’s a country that doesn’t have too much history in tennis, and we don’t have any big events either.

“I have said before that a goal of mine would be to bring an ATP Tour [event] to Norway one time. I hope we can do it, and when you have big results, maybe someone in Norway could have their eyes up for trying to make a tournament in our country… I think that would be a small dream of mine to play actually a tournament on home soil on the ATP Tour, because I never have the chance to do it. Sweden, they have two, so I hope Norway can have one also in the future.”

For now, Ruud can set his sights on next week’s ATP 250 in Houston. After reaching the championship Miami, the Norwegian will enter the clay swing with a career-high ATP Ranking of World No. 7.

“It’s always good to get a new career ranking. So it will be 7 tomorrow. I might have to call Ronaldo, because CR7 is at risk now,” he joked. I don’t know if we have to do some negotiations and see who can actually have this number.”

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