Casper Ruud returns to Paris in pursuit of tennis’ vacated clay crown

There are few tennis players who cherish the clay courts quite like Casper Ruud.

The Norwegian is one of the ATP Tour’s masters on the surface, a two-time Roland-Garros finalist with the best record on red dirt this decade; 12 of his 13 career singles titles have come on clay.

As a former world number two currently ranked seventh in the world, Ruud is a championship contender for the 2025 French Open and what would be a first Grand Slam title. Norway’s most successful player in history wants to take that next step.

“It's really fun to see that tennis is always well represented, it goes to show that tennis is a very international worldwide sport,” Ruud told Olympics.com at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid, where he swapped his tennis attire for a tuxedo ahead of the Masters 1000 tournament last month.

“When you're used to putting on your joggers and sneakers for 350 days of the year, it's nice to do something else. I don't think I'd love to wear a tux every day of my life, but it's nice every now and then to go all in.”

He certainly went all-in during his stint in the Spanish capital. Ruud triumphed in Madrid to secure a maiden Masters trophy, defeating Great Britain’s Jack Draper in the final for the biggest title of his career thus far.

Back in form heading to the second major of the season, can the 26-year-old take on the baton from Rafael Nadal to become the next ‘king of clay’?

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