US OPEN

September 9, 2022

Casper Ruud

Press Conference

C. RUUD/K. Khachanov

7-6, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: THE MODERATOR: Four sets, three hours on the court, a W, into the finals. Assess your performance.

CASPER RUUD: It was another tough match, as we know. Nerve-wracking start. We broke each other quite some times in the first set. I think that long rally on set point where I won the first set was a key to gain sort of strength and play well in the second.

When you lose a first set like that, it's tough to bounce back. That really helped for the second set.

In the third set, Karen served well. I couldn't return or make him play anything from his serves.

In the fourth, I was able to return a little bit better again and play more for the rallies.

Very happy with the performance and that I was able to bounce back after losing the third set.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Could you please take us inside the 55-shot rally. Seemed like its own match.

CASPER RUUD: Yeah, it was a very important point in the match. Of course, set point. I had not wasted two because he served well on the two previous set points. I knew this is a chance to win the first set. I'm on my serve.

I missed a serve by small margins the first serve. Looked like it could be an ace. Second serve we played for the rally. I think we both just refused to do a mistake knowing how important that point is.

That's fun with tennis because some of the best rallies of all time, longer rallies of all times, often come in important points because we both realize how important it is. You don't want to do a mistake.

Towards the end the pulse was getting very high and the legs were almost shaking at a point. I was able to at one point there where I just ripped the backhand down the line and went for it sort of. Could stretch my arms in the air and win the first set.

Like I said, I think it was a key factor to win the second set, and that gave of course motivation and energy to play good and keep going in the second.

Q. Would you like to be the No. 1 tonight or to fight for it on Sunday?

CASPER RUUD: I think what's most fair is if we both reach the final and whoever wins the final reaches the world No. 1. That would be I think the ideal situation.

If I go to bed as No. 1, I will sleep pretty damn well, I guess (smiling).

Q. Having reached the final at the French Open, how much more prepared and confident are you now that you've reached your second major final?

CASPER RUUD: Yeah, I mean, Roland Garros, the final, he obviously gave me a good beating. After the final I said, If I ever reach one again, I hope it is not Rafa on the other side of the court in Roland Garros because it's sort of an impossible task I think for any player. I'm happy that it's not Rafa on clay.

Whoever it is, they have reached the final for a reason and they are playing great. Carlos and Frances are both very electric players, play with a lot of joy and can bring up unbelievable rallies and points. So I have to be prepared for everything.

I hope it can have prepared me a little bit. At least I know a little bit what I'm facing when I'm stepping on the court, seeing the trophy on the back of the court, seeing tons of celebrities. Even in Roland Garros, there was royal families there watching. That was a little bit new experience for me. I hope I can be more ready for that on Sunday.

Q. Before all this happened in Paris and now in New York, what did you think was realistic for you this year?

CASPER RUUD: In terms of Grand Slams the goal was to try to reach one quarterfinal during the year. Last year it was a bit of a disappointment in the slams for me. Everything was going so well other than the slams. I reached semifinals, quarterfinals or even better in almost every ATP event I played last year, which was like all about stability. I won five tournaments sort of just thinking points after points, getting my ranking up. In the slams I wasn't able to do as well as I hoped.

Coming into this year, it was a big year to reach further in the slams. So quarterfinals was for me a realistic goal I felt like when I finished the year last year.

In Australia I couldn't play because I rolled my ankle the day before the tournament started. That was a disappointment, flying over 40 hours back and forth to Australia from Norway, not even playing one point, was disappointing.

I was able to bounce back very good in French Open which gave me confidence, I guess, more self-belief that I can also reach far in the slams. I think I also learned to play best-of-five sets better than I was able to do last year.

Q. I know that you did play quite a bit on hard courts when you were growing up. Are you surprised how quickly you've been able to progress on hard courts and reach this level relatively soon in your career?

CASPER RUUD: Yeah, I guess so. After Indian Wells this year, I lost to Kyrgios in the third round of Indian Wells, and I felt like I didn't play a very good match. At that time it seemed very far away that I would reach finals in big events on hard court.

But then Miami came around. I was feeling the ball much better. Reaching that final I think did something with my self-belief but also respect towards other players. Whenever they look at my results, they'll see, Okay, he made the final of an ATP 1000 on hard court. This guy knows to play more than clay.

If you can have small percentages of fear or respect in your opponent's head before going out on a match or in a match, it will of course help.

It's like when you're playing Rafa on clay, I mean, most of the players have already lost the match before they step out because they know it's almost impossible to beat him.

If I can have a small percentage of that fear in the opponents, of course I'll take it. I'm not sure if that's the case, but that's at least how I think if I'm playing someone like, I don't know, Medvedev or Zverev. I don't know. I know they can play well on every surface.

If you look at their previous results, you'll see that Daniil has one three or four ATP 1000s on hard court, maybe more, I'm not sure. At least you're respecting them a lot when you go on court.

Q. In the UK, Haaland has been in sensational form since coming to Man City. How does you're profile compare in Norway to the top footballer? How do you think your stages could change if you become US Open champion this week and/or world No. 1?

CASPER RUUD: Yeah, he's had an unbelievable season so far. We all hope he keeps going. It's a joy to watch him score goal after goal. He's obviously the biggest star we have in Norway for the moment. He'll probably continue to be so for many more years.

I'm just focused on my career. Hope I can, of course, win more tournaments in my career. Everywhere I go, I represent Norway whenever I play, on the ATP Tour, the Grand Slams, because the Norwegian flag is always behind or in front of my name. I want to represent Norway in a good way and put Norwegian tennis a little bit more on the map the more than it's been the last years.

I hope that I can, like I said, represent Norway and the Norwegian people in a good way, I guess, when I'm traveling around and playing and hopefully winning more matches.

Q. So you said in the on-court interview that as tennis players you have to act sometimes, have the best postures, but it's not always the case inside, that there is a bit of acting in sports. Can you tell us more about that.

CASPER RUUD: Yeah, like, for instance, after the set point when I won the first set, we are both probably like dying because we're out of breath. At least I felt my knees or my legs were sort of shaking. I felt like - what do you call it - the liquid acid in the quads especially. But I tried to not show Karen that I'm tired because I don't want him to think that, This is tiring for Casper.

When we went out in the second set, I tried to do my best to keep a good posture, even though I was still feeling the pulse from the last point.

If things don't go well, I mean, people show feelings more than others, but I always try to keep calm. Even though I'm probably sometimes boiling over in frustration, I try not to show my opponents that I am frustrated because I think that they can get a small advantage if they see that you are frustrated.

Yeah, there is acting in sports. Tennis especially. It's such a mental and psychological game that any small detail can help you win the match.

Q. Over the past two, three years you've had this great rise. You're now in a position playing for a major title, precipice of world No. 1. Is there any lesson you've learned along the way that's helped you put yourself in this position?

CASPER RUUD: Well, good question.

I mean, nothing specific. But I think since I was very young, I have been playing tennis since before I have memory because of my father played with me for fun when I was young. Tennis has always been big part of my life.

When I saw Rafa, Roger on TV when I was young, I said that I want to be on TV someday myself. I think that just stuck with me all my life, that someday I would like to try to become world No. 1 and win Grand Slams.

I think that just inner motivation, knowing it's a very, very long road, has stuck with me every day. Some days, practice days are of course better than others. It's like anyone in any job you do, some days are better than others. You sometimes have a bad day in the office. That ultimate goal and motivation has always driven me to be serious and to have the right mindset.

I have also had help from a mental coach back in Norway who taught me from a young age that it's not necessarily on the court where the battle is, it's more in the everyday life. If you do the right things every day for weeks and months, you become little bit better than maybe the rest of your opponents. Of course, maybe the other players are maybe doing the same. If you do small choices all the time that lead in the right direction, in the end it will make a big gap hopefully.

Q. You talked a lot about the work, how hard you've been working. Now that you know exactly how much work it takes, might that change your approach? Would it make you more relaxed at tournaments?

CASPER RUUD: Yeah, I think when you have success or achieve or experience success in the Grand Slams, it's sort of does something to your mindset. Of course, I like to play a lot of tournaments other than the Grand Slams as well. I tend to play some smaller tournaments here and there to sort of get match practice and everything.

Yeah, I mean, probably from next year leading into the Grand Slams, I'll have a different mindset than what I had this year going into the Grand Slams. Knowing that I can reach further stages, that does something with your self-belief. Yeah, it changes a little bit.

I'll try to take or I'll hopefully take every match that I play serious and know that every match is important. That goes to show why I have the chance to become world No. 1, because I won three 250s this year which in the end gives me 750 points in the race. If I would have played those tournaments thinking, Yeah, it's not that important because there's a Grand Slam coming, I wouldn't be in this position.

I mean, I'm happy with the road and journey that I've achieved or done. Yeah, I hope it can continue.

Q. We haven't yet discussed your next opponent. Could be one of two. First Frances, what have you observed in the way he's improved and how he has played here at this tournament?

CASPER RUUD: I think he's played tactically very smart, especially against Rafa. To beat him you need to come up with something special, and he did. He took the ball very early and sort of stressed Rafa. I was watching the match a lot. I haven't watched all his matches, but the Rafa match I watched almost everything of. That was really impressive.

Like I said, he brings joy, that electric atmosphere to the court. He's always smiling. He's always having fun with that. I think that's fun to see.

Of course, this is a very serious tournament, a serious business in the end, but he always has fun no matter how it goes.

He's a player that I think has probably inspired a lot of kids here in the States with his result. He's not my closest friend on tour, but he's always a very nice guy in the locker room, very fun player to watch.

Q. Then Carlos with not just the championship on the line, but the No. 1 ranking, what do you think that match will come down to?

CASPER RUUD: I think if I want to beat Carlos, I'll need to play very precise with all the shots that I hit, especially try to keep him a little bit further back in the court, to play with good depth and length on all my shots.

If he steps in, he can do anything with the ball. He can rip a winner. He also has great touch with the dropshot. I think he has one of the best dropshots on tour. He can do both shots back and forth, it will sort of get you off guard sometimes with the dropshot.

If you play with good depth and good length, it's tougher to hit dropshots. That will be something that I will try to focus on.

Yeah, we're playing for the tournament and also world No. 1. Of course, there will be nerves and we will both feel it.

I hope it will be a good match. He has beaten me a couple times and I will seek my revenge.