Casper Ruud targeting alternative sports career after unexpected US Open exit
Casper Ruud has admitted he'd love to pursue a career as a golf player after his tennis days are over.
The 24-year-old is one of the best in his sport and possesses one of the most dangerous forehands in the game. However, the Norwegian could have easily pursued a professional career in golf. His father, Christian, the former world no. 39, began to play when injuries brought his tennis career to a premature end.
Tennis’ world number five began to play with his dad at a young age which developed his love for the sport. By the time he reached his teens, Ruud had to play golf less in order to solely focus on achieving his dream of becoming a professional tennis star. Though he has made a promising start to life as a tennis player, which includes 10 titles and three Grand Slam final appearances, Ruud sometimes thinks maybe he could have gone the other way.
“[In golf] you get to travel around and play the nicest courses in the world,” Ruud told USGA. “Sometimes I dream that I could play in a tournament on the PGA Tour or European tour. A sponsor’s exemption – that would be a dream moment for me. It would be awesome to see how far I could go in golf. I don’t think about it seriously… But, sometimes, you overcome yourself.”
Expanding more on his passion for golf, Ruud said: “My father picked up golf in his teens. His professional tennis career ended quite early, around 30, and from there he played a lot of golf. He’d sometimes bring me to the course or range, starting when I was about 3 or 4. From then on, I always loved swinging the club. At 13, I decided to focus on tennis, that I wanted to be a professional.
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“I only played about 4 or 5 rounds a year for the next 4 or 5 years. But since about age 17, I’ve been playing golf as much as I can, watching a lot of events on TV, and trying to become better by watching the pros.”
On the tennis court, Ruud suffered a devastating loss at the second round stage of the US Open. He was upset by world number 67 Zhang Zhizhen, who prevailed 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 0-6, 6-2 after three hours and 18 minutes.
Zhang struck 59 winners in an inspired performance to become the first Chinese player to beat a player inside the top five since rankings began in 1973. He will play Australia’s Rinky Hijikata in the third round.
Ruud has been playing golf since he was a teenager (Twitter/@CasperRuud98)Ruud, however, was unable to replicate the form he showed in 2022, when he advanced to the final in New York. He was defeated by Carlos Alcaraz who claimed his first major title in the process. When asked by USGA if he felt how much pressure he felt in that match, Ruud shared: “I was a little surprised by the fact that I didn’t really feel that much pressure.
“Alcaraz was on a roll, and I felt that he had more pressure, even if we were both playing for the same thing. I played freely. You feel nerves, obviously, just like when you step on the tee toward the end of the round where if you hit the fairway, you have a chance to make birdie. When you’re playing tennis, you’re running around.
“You only get split seconds to think, and you’re doing things on instinct. You don’t have as much time to get nervous as you do in golf. I felt like I played a great match, but so did he. I’m proud that I did my best.”
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