THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 3, 2023

Casper Ruud

Press Conference

C. RUUD/L. Lokoli

6-1, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Casper, what are your initial thoughts on today's match?

CASPER RUUD: I think it was a good match from my side. I'm happy with the level. I'm happy that I started great. Started with a couple breaks, and I was up early.

You know, coming into tournament, I haven't really felt too nervous. I feel kind of pressureless, honestly, I play with my shoulders down. But stepping out on Court 1 was special, was the first time I was there. Was happy to perform well and get a first win out there on Court 1 and this year's Wimbledon.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. You said on court it was your first time on No. 1 and you were a bit nervous, but you're a Grand Slam finalist. Could you explain why you felt nerves on that particular court?

CASPER RUUD: Well, I think it's just this place is a bit special. My father and I, we don't have the greatest record at Wimbledon (smiling). Any time we can pick up a win, it's big for the family.

Walking from Centre to Court 1 is like a tunnel, and you have all these pictures of memorable matches and players and legends of the game, so walking past those pictures was kind of like, Oh, I'm going out there to play on one of these big courts myself.

Just I think first time you're playing on a big court in a tournament that you haven't played on before, it's a bit special. Just wouldn't say I was dying of nerves, but it was just some butterflies in the stomach.

Q. You're likely to get back on a show court again because you're playing a Brit, Liam Broady next. What are your thoughts about that?

CASPER RUUD: It's going to be fun, going to be a challenge for sure playing someone who is playing their home Grand Slam. It's always tough, because you know that it's going to be a great atmosphere and most of the people will cheer for him.

But I'm just going to try and do my job and hopefully play another good match and try and make it to the third round here for the first time in my career.

It's no secret that my record is not great here at Wimbledon, but I'm going to try and change that this year. It's going to be fun. Liam is a nice guy. I hope we can have a good match. He's going to be eager to win and make it to the third round at his home Grand Slam, and I'm also going to be eager and try and make the third round myself.

Q. Your preparations have sort of attracted a divided opinion. Some people have said you're living the dream. Others think you're being too much of an international playboy. What do you think of that? Is that a load of nonsense? Could it perhaps actually help you because it relaxes you?

CASPER RUUD: Well, I mean, people can have any opinion they want. Everyone is entitled to have their opinion. But to me, you know, honestly it's a long year, and at some point during the summer, at least to me, there has to be some kind of break for the players.

To me, the natural and the obvious choice is to skip a couple of the grass court events because I play every single tournament on clay every week. You know, you get exhausted in the end. Also topping it off with making final of Roland Garros, I was quite tired afterwards. It was just the only time really before -- the second part of the season is also hectic. After Wimbledon I play a couple of tournaments on clay. You know, then you can argue, is it better to be ready for a couple of tournaments on grass before Wimbledon, or is it better to be ready for a couple of clay tournaments after Wimbledon? Anyone can have an opinion on that.

To me, it's an easy choice. It doesn't mean that I take Wimbledon not serious enough or anything. I really like to perform well here. But it's just a matter of physically being ready and being ready for the second part of the season.

It's important for me to have somewhat of a break here and there, and then the easy choice for me is to skip a couple of the grass court events.

Yeah, but coming in, stepping into this place here at Wimbledon, I always get motivated to try to do well, and it's always a special feeling.

Q. The fact you move so well, the fact your forehand is so good, the fact I think you're a better server than perhaps some give you credit for, you've got the game, and then the grass courts, you're not playing in the '90s anymore, the grass is slower. Why do you think you haven't yet shown your true potential? Even in the juniors you weren't as good on this surface than others.

CASPER RUUD: Yeah, I think movement is difficult. And to me, it's just normally when I play on clay and hard court, I find it a bit easier to kind of push from the legs in a way. When I'm pushing from the legs to hit my forehand particularly to kind of get the topspin and the power that I want to, I need to rely on that kind of step that I land on to be able to move quick off the ground.

But it's just a bit tricky on grass, because when I use my legs and put a lot of power into the shots, I land, and I want to get back and recover back to the middle, I feel that I might slip every time I do it.

So you take these small steps all the time which means you'll be a bit slower back to the middle. It's just a bit basic, I don't know if you want to call it science but just how it works on grass.

I'm always a bit scared to kind of rip through the forehand the way I would like to, because I know that I might lose grip on the surface. I'm a little bit more kind of tentative and careful out in the corners, which I think makes a bit of a difference in my game and in my confidence.

But today I think I was able to play quite well and move well and play good on the defense. So I'm happy with the level that I played.

It's like you say, if you serve well and have a big weapon from the baseline, you can do well on grass. I don't count myself out. It's just that I don't consider myself a grass court specialist either. I don't come to the net too often, I don't dropshot too often, I don't have the most beautiful slice or anything.

But if you can move well and have a big weapon, I think you're able to play decent enough on grass.

Q. I was wondering what your opinion is regarding the flirt of WTA and ATP with Saudi Arabia. We see more and more sports are engaging with the country, which causes some debate of course. What are your thoughts that the tennis is maybe or will be stepping in in the future?

CASPER RUUD: Well, it hasn't happened yet, but I think it's fair to be open to the discussion. It's a lot of debate obviously in many different sports. Whether that's good or not, I think it seems to me that they are trying to modernize the country a lot and hosting these sport events.

So you can call it sportwashing or whatever you want. But in the end, I think it's good that the country, they have the economy and they want to be big in sports. I don't see why they shouldn't be allowed to do that.

It hasn't happened yet obviously in tennis, but if it happens, I'm sure that they will have the possibility to host many tournaments.

Q. Would it be a problem for you to play over there?

CASPER RUUD: What, in Saudi Arabia? I mean, we're already playing in Dubai, playing in Doha, so I don't see the real issue to go there honestly. I haven't been there, but I'm sure you'll see a lot of sports stars there in the future and coming years.

Q. Apologies in advance. I know you don't have to worry about Novak until much later in tournament. But could you explain to very much novices what, if there is one particular thing about him, that makes him so difficult to beat?

CASPER RUUD: It's not just one thing though, but I think he just has taken like defensive tennis on a new level. The way he moves and the way he's able to counterpunch and counterattack from deep, out to the side of the court, and it's just really tough to kind of hit winners against him, because he moves well and he gets to certain shots and balls that you don't think that he will get to.

Even from those positions he's able to hit kind of good counterattacking shots with good depth. Yeah, and then he reads the game really well on top of that. So you kind of feel like every time you have a short ball against him, it's kind of tricky to know which side to go to, because he guesses right many times.

Even if he doesn't guess right, sometimes he's able to get there. I think he's just taken defensive -- I'm not going to say defensive tennis, but how well he defends to a new level kind of.