Casper Ruud is the brand-new champion of the Mutua Madrid Open in tennis. The Norwegian tennis player, trained at the Rafa Nadal Academy, achieved the first major title of his career this Sunday after losing three Grand Slam finals, two Masters 1000, and another at the ATP Finals. No one has won more matches on clay than Casper in the last five years, with 125 victories on clay.
Beyond tennis, one of the great hobbies of the Norwegian is golf. This week he confessed as much on the tournament’s Twitch channel. A golf enthusiast. So much so that he is a scratch golfer: “My dream day when I don’t have to play tennis is to play 36 holes of golf, 18 in the morning and 18 in the afternoon. I don’t think there’s a better plan, if the weather is good, of course,” he said with a laugh.
However, as a good professional in his sport, he can’t practice it as much as he would like, but the bag always accompanies him: “The truth is I don’t play as much as I would like and at this time of year it’s even more difficult, but when we travel to the United States I always take my clubs because I really enjoy it. After Wimbledon, I also escape to Norway for a while and play more frequently.”
Surely the day of May 4th is one he will always remember as it marked his first Masters 1000, but there is another that is etched in his memory. When asked about the most impressive course he has played, he has no doubts: “I have been very fortunate. The best course I have ever played, by far, is Augusta National. It was an incredible experience to go, playing a round there is something I will never forget. A dream come true.”
Beyond playing the sport, he is a great fan of golf: “At the Olympic Games, I escaped to Le Golf National, it was an incredible experience to see the best players in the world, Scheffler, McIlroy, Schauffele, Jon… Two years ago I also went to the Italian Open of the DP World Tour, it coincided that I was there for a tournament and I wanted to see it live.”
Naturally, the Norwegian is a big fan of his compatriot Viktor Hovland. “We have tried to play several times, but we haven’t managed it yet. Maybe after Roland Garros, we can arrange a day to go out together,” said the ATP number seven.
Additionally, Casper declares himself a big fan of the European Ryder team: “I hope Viktor can play the Ryder Cup at Bethpage, I love the tournament and I hope we can win in New York. I think there are few more beautiful challenges in sport than winning a Ryder away from home. Hopefully, we can win for the second consecutive edition.”
When analysing who the best tennis players who play golf are, he acknowledges that “Rafa is the best, he doesn’t have the best swing, but he competes like no one else. Andy Murray is good, Sebastian Korda (Nelly’s brother) also competes well. I’ve seen Roger’s swing and it looks very good, I haven’t played with Nole yet, but if he puts the same determination into it as he does in tennis, there’s no doubt he’ll be very good. I’ve also played 18 holes with Carlitos Alcaraz, for now, Juan Carlos Ferrero, his coach, is better, but Carlitos is another one who, if he decides to get serious, will beat us all.” Without a doubt, golf is a trendy sport among the best tennis players in the world.
