開季至今不曾連勝 外媒問：世界第4的他到底怎麼了？
2023/03/13 10:37
〔體育中心／綜合報導〕過去兩年共獲8冠、並曾二度勇闖大滿貫決賽的挪威好手魯德（C
asper Ruud），本季似乎尚未找回最佳狀態。他於ATP印地安泉大師賽抱憾止步32強後，
開季至今3個月仍未嘗到連勝滋味。如此低潮甚至連專業網球媒體《Tennis.com》都以斗
大標題寫著：「魯德到底怎麼了？」
榮膺賽會第3種子的魯德，在年度首站大師賽享有少打一輪的優勢，他於次輪賽事順利以
直落二盤數過關，但在第3輪遭遇會外賽晉級的智利對手加林（Cristian Garin）卻踢到
鐵板。
魯德首盤被加林破發後，便以4：6讓出；次盤前者先被破發後，雖成功回破、將戰線延長
至搶七決勝局。但魯德於決勝局僅拿兩分，讓加林以兩盤比數6：4、7：6（2）勝出。
這位目前排行世界第4的挪威好手，自元月中旬澳網第2輪爆冷出局後，逾一個月都未參與
任何一場正式比賽。他曾於印地安泉大師賽賽前記者會表示，自己透過訓練與休息來度過
澳網後的時間，因此直到二月下旬才前往墨西哥參加巡迴賽，並自認這對他個人而言才是
新球季的開始。
不過該站魯德同樣止步次輪，加上本站同樣是首戰奏捷、隔場落敗，也令《Tennis.com》
直言，期待他能盡快找回屬於自己的贏球節奏，讓「第二場輸球」的定律成為過去式。
https://sports.ltn.com.tw/news/breakingnews/4237776
After latest early exit in Indian Wells, what’s up with Casper Ruud?
The former world No. 2 ended last season on an unequivocal high, but is yet to
win back-to-back matches in 2023 after bowing out in the third round of the B
NP Paribas Open.
By
David Kane
On a men’s tour besieged by ill-timed injuries, high-profile retirements, and
myriad personal issues, Casper Ruud could be what one could consider an “unp
roblematic fave” among the proverbial Next Gen set.
The Norwegian has quietly and uncontroversially done the work over the two-yea
r post-pandemic era, working his way up the rankings first slowly, then quickl
y, and culminating with a 2022 season that saw him reach four consequential fi
nals—including two at Grand Slams, both Roland Garros and the US Open. He eve
n earned a coveted spot in the first season of Netflix’s Break Point, chronic
ling his run to his first Grand Slam final in Paris.
But since ending last season with a runner-up finish at the Nitto ATP Finals,
Ruud’s Top 3 form has all but abandoned him. At a time when he could have giv
en himself a mathematical shot at the No. 1 ranking—having missed the 2022 Au
stralian Open due to injury—he has failed to win back-to-back matches in all
five of his tournament appearances thus far.
The latest disappointment came on Sunday when he endured an ugly defeat to Cri
stian Garin in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open, striking 29 unforced e
rrors—20 off his hitherto superior forehand side—to exit the Masters 1000, 6
-4, 7-6 (2), in just under two hours.
His frustration is likely only compounded by the belief that, after an underwh
elming Australian summer, things were finally falling into place.
“I’ve had a couple of weeks of training and rest in February, and from Acapu
lco last week, my season has really started,” he said in his pre-tournament p
ress conference. “I hope I can have a good result here.”
The 24-year-old indeed began 2023 without a traditional pre-season, having esc
hewed the rest he may have needed after a breakthrough year to play a series o
f exhibition tournaments in Central and South America with idol and academy tr
aining mate Rafael Nadal.
After a short vacation in the Maldives, he picked up his racquets again to pla
y another exhibition in Abu Dhabi, part of the Middle Eastern swing of off-sea
son tournaments that featured the likes of Carlos Alcaraz—who ended up injuri
ng himself and missed the Australian Open—and Stefanos Tsitsipas, who came to
Indian Wells openly undercooked thanks to a shoulder issue.
“I sort of was hoping to use United Cup period and Auckland to sort of train
well and play a couple of matches before coming into this,” Ruud explained af
ter a second-round Melbourne exit to Jenson Brooksby.
“It was maybe not enough to be able to perform well here this year. So, it wi
ll be considered by me and my team what we will do in December this year, and
whether this was the right way to prepare for Australian Open or not.”
The unproblematic fave’s problems have nonetheless followed him to North Amer
ica, where he is scheduled defend his first big batch of points next week in M
iami after reaching the final last year.
Still, there is reason to believe his fortunes will soon change: for all his c
onsistency in 2022, he left large swaths of points on the table with early def
eats in Monte Carlo and Madrid, two clay-court events where he should expect t
o play his best tennis. His hard-court results have made him a Top 3 player, b
ut clay will likely always remain foundational to his career, a surface on whi
ch he can optimize a heavy forehand that can sometimes sit up on quicker court
s.
And though his losses have often featured brutal stats, they haven’t resulted
from a lack of fight from Ruud, who battled from a break down in the second s
et to Garin and twice stood two points from a deciding set.
Sometimes derided for a more “boring” style of play, Ruud even pulled off a
'tweener in the midst of an otherwise unsatisfying afternoon:
“The margins are small these days,” he said back in Australia, “and I just
realized that, you know, even though I don't feel like a worse player or that
I'm in physically worse shape than I was during the US Open, for example. Ther
e I made the final; here I lost second round. That's how it is sometimes.”
Capable as he may be, how quickly Casper can change things from “how it is”
to “how it was” remains an open question.