Australian Open: ‘Nearly-man’ Ruud ready to drop his racquet and rush home

Dubai: He has been the nearly-man of men’s tennis, having reached three Grand Slam finals – twice at the French Open in 2022 and 2023 and once at US Open in 2022 – besides making the title round at the ATP Tour Finals in 2022 and being ranked No 2 in the world that same year.

But for Casper Ruud, currently ranked no 12 in the world, ‘nearly-man’ is not a tag he wants to wear anymore, as he moves through the Australian Open field in anticipation following his first-round victory over Italian Mattia Bellucci on Monday.

Exhibition match

The Norwegian, who was chosen to play Roger Federer in an exhibition match in the lead-up to the Australian Open on Friday, admitted his focus was not entirely on the tournament and said he is sure where he wants to be if he gets a call from Maria, his heavily pregnant wife.

The 27-year-old star and his wife are expecting their first child any day and Ruud says he is prepared to drop everything – including his racquet – and make a mad dash home when the call comes.

"I have to thank Maria for letting me go in the first place. I know she's at home resting, getting ready," said Ruud.

"Except for when I'm playing a match, the ringer (on my phone) is on all hours of the day just in case.

"If she goes into labour I probably won't be here the next day," he added.

"But that's the way it goes. There's more to life than just tennis, but I'm going to be here for as long as I can and as long as Maria lets me."

Ruud next plays Spain's Jaume Munar in the second round and is sure to be tempted to check his phone during the changeovers.