Casper Ruud does not agree with those who criticised him for attending a concert during Wimbledon.
Ruud, who recently lost to Jack Draper at the Ultimate Tennis Showdown, is a big fan of the artist The Weeknd. That led to the Norwegian going to three of his concerts during the grass-court season.
Two of these were during Wimbledon warm-up events, all of which Ruud skipped. The other was in London during the Grand Slam at SW19. But Ruud gave short shrift to those who critiqued him.
“If people are going to question whether going to a concert or not is the best thing, I think they have a very boring life.”
It is clear Ruud would rather the attention was on matters on the court rather than off it. The three-time Grand Slam finalist feels that events he attends in his personal life should not be the focus of other people.
Ruud also spoke about how tennis players also have other interests not linked to the sport, and how that seems to get forgotten among those who judge athletes for actions like attending concerts.
“People might question whether I took grass court season serious enough or what but it’s 10pm. We have a life outside of tennis as well.”
Critics of Ruud may argue that they are not opposing players having social lives outside of the sport, but their point is that the 24-year-old deliberately did not give maximum effort during the grass-court season.
However, it is up to the player to set their own schedule. Ruud knows his own strengths and weaknesses and what tournaments are best for him to play throughout long and tiring seasons.
Ruud can now put that debate behind him as 2024 looms. He is on the United Cup entry list, representing Norway, and will seek to make a strong start to the new season.
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