INTERNAZIONALI BNL D'ITALIA

May 15, 2025

Casper Ruud

Mixed Zone

J. SINNER/C. Ruud

6-0, 6-1

Q. Can you describe the performance? Pretty near perfect.

CASPER RUUD: Yeah, yeah, it's as near as perfect that I witnessed, at least as a player playing someone. Just got to give it to him.

I mean, the first four games, I did maybe a couple unforced errors my forehand where I went for it, but I missed. Everything else that came out of his racquet and throughout the whole match, as well, feels like a hundred miles an hour plus. Every single shot from the forehand, from the backhand. Even on my shots that I feel at times are pretty heavy, it comes back just firing.

It's just immensely impressive. That's really all I can say.

Q. Do you think you could have done anything against that tonight?

CASPER RUUD: I mean, the shot that lets me down the most today is my serve. If I serve better, sure, you get more free points.

From the baseline, I won maybe one or two of the longer rallies. I'm not even sure if I won any when I think about it. There had to be one or two, I think.

Majority of the baseline rallies he got the better of me, even though I felt like I tried to set up the points how I wanted. He was just everywhere.

It's kind of saying that when someone plays that well, it feels like you have two forehands, one from the forehand side and the other from the backhand side. In his case, it's almost like two backhands because his backhand is also so good.

It was like playing a wall that shoots hundred-mile-an-hour balls at you all the time.

Q. Is Jannik underrated on clay?

CASPER RUUD: Maybe by people. I don't know. I don't underrate him at all on any surface. He was semis Paris last year, semis here this year, which I believe is his best result here. Definitely has more. He can go for even more here. Semis of Monte-Carlo last year, I mean.

I know he can play really well. In semis of Paris, he took Carlos to five sets. It's not a secret that he plays well here.

So far in his career, he hasn't had as much success here on this surface, but there's no reason why he can't when he plays like this.

Q. Mentally what is it like feeling ineffective on the court, given that you're one of the best players in the world yourself? Do you just shut this loss off on and move on?

CASPER RUUD: No, it doesn't feel so bad honestly. I think it was more fun than anything, even though I lost 0-1. You just look at the guy and say, This is kind of, yeah, next-level shit - excuse my language (laughter) - but I don't know what else to say. It was almost fun to witness at the same time.

Of course, I wish it was a closer match. I wish I could have given the people and the fans a longer, closer match.

But I think that I was there ready to play, but he was just even readier. Every area of my good shots he matched with even better back. I couldn't re-answer with a better shot. That was just the story of the match.