Latest news with #CasperRuud
NBC Sports
a day ago
- Health
- NBC Sports
Playing through pain is common for players worried about tennis' rat race
PARIS — Casper Ruud hardly is an up-and-comer simply trying to make his way — and a living — in professional tennis. He's a three-time Grand Slam finalist, ranked No. 8, the owner of more clay-court victories than any other man since 2020 and someone who's earned nearly $25 million in prize money. And yet Ruud felt the need to play through pain for the better part of two months, right up until the moment the left knee that's been swollen from a build-up of fluid, that's prompted him to pop pills, that's ached every time he slides into an open-stance backhand, became too problematic during a French Open second-round match. He didn't stop, but he did drop 13 of the last 14 games in a loss. Afterward, the 26-year-old Norwegian voiced concerns, also expressed this week by other players, that there is an overwhelming sense of obligation to take the court as often as possible, no matter one's health, thanks to a schedule and a system Ruud called a 'rat race.' 'You feel like you lose a lot if you don't show up and play, both economically, point-wise, ranking-wise and opportunity-wise,' Ruud said, noting that skipping one mandatory event brings a 25% cut to a year-end bonus on the men's tour. 'You're kind of forcing players to show up injured or sick.' Tennis players wonder if pushing their bodies to extremes is a good idea Caroline Garcia, a 2022 U.S. Open semifinalist who announced this is her last season as a pro, wrote in a social media post that she relied on a steady diet of anti-inflammatories, corticoid injections and plasma treatments to deal with a bum shoulder. The 31-year-old from France wondered aloud: 'Is it truly worth pushing our bodies to such extremes?' She spoke in Paris about the stresses of trying to maintain one's ranking and 'the responsibility' of performing for one's entourage. 'I can feel what she feels,' said Alexander Zverev, a three-time major runner-up. 'The thing is, with us tennis players, it's a 1-on-1 sport, so we get the blame all the time, right?' Unlike in team sports, there are no substitutions at the French Open Ajla Tomljanovic, who handed Serena Williams the last loss of her career, summed it up this way: 'I don't think playing with pain is smart, but I've done it before. Sometimes it was rewarded, and sometimes it wasn't.' Emma Raducanu, the 2021 U.S. Open champion, said she kept entering tournaments a couple of seasons ago despite problems in both wrists that required surgery. People around her at the time, Raducanu said, 'were telling me I wasn't tough enough, like I need to just work through it, like it's normal I'm feeling fatigued because I'm training so much. When in reality, I knew there was pain, and I knew it kind of felt more than just soreness. So I wish I would have listened to myself sooner.' Australian Open champion Madison Keys said Garcia's post resonated. 'She's right. At some point, you just have to say, 'I'm done.' And like she said, it's something that we learn from a really young age,' Keys said. 'Everyone applauds (NBA star Michael) Jordan for playing with the flu ... and somehow it was a better achievement because he pushed through it. Obviously, it was incredible that he was able to do that while ill, but I don't think you always need to.' At Roland-Garros, playing through pain is common Tommy Paul, an American seeded 12th in Paris, wasn't quite sure what was wrong in his lower abdominal area, but he knew it didn't feel right during his second-round match. He was visited by a trainer, who couldn't do much to help. Paul played on, wound up winning in five sets, and planned to get an MRI exam. 'I'm going back out to play,' Paul said, 'for sure.' In another match, Damir Džumhur of Bosnia tumbled to the clay, hurting his knee. He, too, continued, won to set up a showdown with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, and declared: 'If it's just a bruise — if I cannot make it worse — then I can play.' Tennis is a non-contact sport, of course, so the perils are not the same as in the NFL, say. Still, Ruud estimated something is physically wrong with him in more than half his matches — 'whether that's just a small blister under your foot or maybe a little soreness in your stomach, rib, back, knee, whatever.' 'Every part of my body,' he said, 'has felt some kind of pain.'
CTV News
2 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
French Open: Playing through pain is common for players worried about tennis' rat race
Norway's Casper Ruud wipes his face as he plays Portugal's Nuno Borges during their second round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) PARIS — Casper Ruud is hardly an up-and-comer simply trying to make his way — and a living — in professional tennis. He's a three-time Grand Slam finalist, ranked No. 8, the owner of more clay-court victories than any other man since 2020 and someone who's earned nearly $25 million in prize money. And yet Ruud felt the need to play through pain for the better part of two months, right up until the moment the left knee that's been swollen from a build-up of fluid, that's prompted him to pop pills, that's ached every time he slides into an open-stance backhand, became too problematic during a French Open second-round match. He didn't stop, but he did drop 13 of the last 14 games in a loss Wednesday. Afterward, the 26-year-old Norwegian voiced concerns, also expressed this week by other players, that there is an overwhelming sense of obligation to take the court as often as possible, no matter one's health, thanks to a schedule and a system Ruud called a 'rat race.' 'You feel like you lose a lot if you don't show up and play, both economically, point-wise, ranking-wise and opportunity-wise,' Ruud said, noting that skipping one mandatory event brings a 25% cut to a year-end bonus on the men's tour. 'You're kind of forcing players to show up injured or sick.' Tennis players wonder if pushing their bodies to extremes is a good idea Caroline Garcia, a 2022 U.S. Open semifinalist who announced this is her last season as a pro, wrote in a social media post that she relied on a steady diet of anti-inflammatories, corticoid injections and plasma treatments to deal with a bum shoulder. The 31-year-old from France wondered aloud: 'Is it truly worth pushing our bodies to such extremes?' She spoke in Paris about the stresses of trying to maintain one's ranking and 'the responsibility' of performing for one's entourage. 'I can feel what she feels,' said Alexander Zverev, a three-time major runner-up. 'The thing is, with us tennis players, it's a 1-on-1 sport, so we get the blame all the time, right?' Unlike in team sports, there are no substitutions at the French Open Ajla Tomljanovic, who handed Serena Williams the last loss of her career, summed it up this way: 'I don't think playing with pain is smart, but I've done it before. Sometimes it was rewarded, and sometimes it wasn't.' Emma Raducanu, the 2021 U.S. Open champion, said she kept entering tournaments a couple of seasons ago despite problems in both wrists that required surgery. People around her at the time, Raducanu said, 'were telling me I wasn't tough enough, like I need to just work through it, like it's normal I'm feeling fatigued because I'm training so much. When in reality, I knew there was pain, and I knew it kind of felt more than just soreness. So I wish I would have listened to myself sooner.' Australian Open champion Madison Keys said Garcia's post resonated. 'She's right. At some point, you just have to say, 'I'm done.' And like she said, it's something that we learn from a really young age,' Keys said. 'Everyone applauds (NBA star Michael) Jordan for playing with the flu ... and somehow it was a better achievement because he pushed through it. Obviously, it was incredible that he was able to do that while ill, but I don't think you always need to.' At Roland-Garros, playing through pain is common On Wednesday, Tommy Paul, an American seeded 12th in Paris, wasn't quite sure what was wrong in his lower abdominal area, but he knew it didn't feel right during his second-round match. He was visited by a trainer, who couldn't do much to help. Paul played on, wound up winning in five sets, and planned to get an MRI exam Thursday. 'I'm going back out to play,' Paul said, 'for sure.' In another match, Damir Džumhur of Bosnia tumbled to the clay, hurting his knee. He, too, continued, won to set up a showdown with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, and declared: 'If it's just a bruise — if I cannot make it worse — then I can play.' Tennis is a non-contact sport, of course, so the perils are not the same as in the NFL, say. Still, Ruud estimated something is physically wrong with him in more than half his matches — 'whether that's just a small blister under your foot or maybe a little soreness in your stomach, rib, back, knee, whatever.' 'Every part of my body,' he said, 'has felt some kind of pain.' ___ Howard Fendrich, The Associated Press
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Ruud criticises ATP rankings 'rat race'
TWO-time French Open finalist Casper Ruud said the ATP's ranking system was like a "rat race" as players felt compelled to compete in the tour's mandatory events even if they are carrying injuries. Seventh seed Ruud crashed out of the French Open on Wednesday after losing to unseeded Nuno Borges in the second round, with the Norwegian saying he had been struggling with knee pain that restricted his movement. Asked if the busy tennis calendar made it difficult to take time off and fully heal an injury, the 26-year-old told reporters that players' rankings would take a hit if they skipped mandatory events. "Well, it's kind of like a rat race when it comes to the rankings, as well," he said. "You feel you're obligated to play with certain rules that the ATP have set up with the mandatory events. "You feel like you lose a lot if you don't show up and play... the punishments are quite hard, in terms of everyone else will play, gain points, and you won't." The ATP did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside normal business hours. Ruud also said a player's year-end bonus was cut by 25 per cent if they missed a mandatory event. "I'm not sure if you're aware, but if you don't play a mandatory event, they cut 25% of your year-end bonus. You're kind of forcing players to show up injured or sick, or whatever, when that is not what I think is very fair," he added. Ruud said he was looking forward to taking some weeks off to heal his injury before returning to court. "I'm just looking forward to not being on painkillers for some days now. Let it really heal and rest and see where I'm at in a few weeks," he added. — REUTERS
Asharq Al-Awsat
2 days ago
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Ruud Criticizes ATP Rankings 'Rat Race'
Two-time French Open finalist Casper Ruud said the ATP's ranking system was like a "rat race" as players felt compelled to compete in the tour's mandatory events even if they are carrying injuries. Seventh seed Ruud crashed out of the French Open on Wednesday after losing to unseeded Nuno Borges in the second round, with the Norwegian saying he had been struggling with knee pain that restricted his movement. Asked if the busy tennis calendar made it difficult to take time off and fully heal an injury, the 26-year-old told reporters that players' rankings would take a hit if they skipped mandatory events, Reuters reported. "Well, it's kind of like a rat race when it comes to the rankings, as well," he said. "You feel you're obligated to play with certain rules that the ATP have set up with the mandatory events. "You feel like you lose a lot if you don't show up and play... the punishments are quite hard, in terms of everyone else will play, gain points, and you won't." The ATP did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside normal business hours. Ruud also said a player's year-end bonus was cut by 25% if they missed a mandatory event. "I'm not sure if you're aware, but if you don't play a mandatory event, they cut 25% of your year-end bonus. You're kind of forcing players to show up injured or sick, or whatever, when that is not what I think is very fair," he added. Ruud said he was looking forward to taking some weeks off to heal his injury before returning to court. "I'm just looking forward to not being on painkillers for some days now. Let it really heal and rest and see where I'm at in a few weeks," he added.
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
‘Like a rat race': Injured Casper Ruud limps out of French Open in second round
A dejected and injured Casper Ruud leaving the court after losing his second-round match against Portugal's Nuno Borges. PHOTO: REUTERS 'Like a rat race': Injured Casper Ruud limps out of French Open in second round PARIS – Casper Ruud on May 28 blasted the ATP's ranking system as 'like a rat race' which forces players to compete with injuries, as the former two-time French Open runner-up slumped to a second-round defeat. The seventh seed from Norway lost 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-0 to Portugal's world No. 41 Nuno Borges as a knee injury he has been carrying the entire clay season took its toll. The 26-year-old said he first felt the problem at Monte Carlo in April. He won in Madrid and played in Rome but pulled out of Geneva last week in the hope of being in top form for Roland Garros. 'It's been with me actually the whole clay season on and off,' said Ruud, who reached the final in Paris in 2022 and 2023 before a run to the last four a year ago. 'Depending a little bit on how kind of physically tough some matches are, the day after it will either be a bit more sore or not. 'The scan didn't know show any structural damage, which is a good thing. There's liquid of inflammation in there that needs to settle. As we know, it's a hectic clay season, and I decided to push through it doing some anti-inflammatory pills and painkillers to try to get rid of it, which has helped to a certain degree. 'I will have some more time now to let it heal and rest for a long time.' He lamented the difficulty in taking time off on the ATP tour to fully heal an injury. 'It's kind of like a rat race when it comes to the rankings, as well,' Ruud added. 'You feel you're obligated to play with certain rules that the ATP have set up with the mandatory events. 'You feel like you lose a lot if you don't show up and play, both economically, point-wise, ranking-wise and opportunity-wise. It's a questionable system because on one hand you don't want to show up injured, and you maybe give the spot to another one.' Norway's Casper Ruud lost his match as a knee injury he has been carrying the entire clay season took its toll. PHOTO: REUTERS On May 28, Ruud won the first set against Borges but lost the next two. He had his leg massaged between the third and fourth sets, but to no avail, as he came back on court to lose the final set in 20 minutes. 'I wish I could stay longer. This is the Slam where I feel like I have a bigger chance of doing well,' said the Norwegian. He has not gone beyond the last 16 at any of the other three Majors since losing the 2022 US Open final to Carlos Alcaraz. 'It's hopefully nothing too serious,' added Ruud. 'I don't want to take anything away from Nuno, because I think he played a phenomenal match, a really high level.' Borges is through to the third round at Roland Garros for the first time and will play Australian 25th seed Alexei Popyrin for a place in the last 16. 'He obviously wasn't 100 per cent today,' said Borges, who reached the second week at the Australian and US Opens in 2024. 'It's a big milestone for me to be in the third round.' AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
