Casper Ruud is competing at the BNP Paribas Nordic Open in Stockholm this week, and Bolavip had the chance to ask the Norwegian some questions on the first day of the tournament — including his performance in 2025, the ATP schedule, and his thoughts on Novak Djokovic‘s recent comments.
The 26-year-old won his biggest title this season when he secured the Masters 1000 title in Madrid, and the tennis star calls it a memorable year. However, he is not fully satisfied with the way he has performed in 2025 so far.
But Ruud is still aiming to end a long season with a spot in the ATP Finals, despite currently being nearly 1,000 points away from the number eight spot in the live race to Turin.
Speaking of ending a long season, Ruud pointed out the fact that the ATP calendar is still too long, specifically mentioning the Paris Masters as an issue. He also commented on the economic motivation to play as many tournaments as possible, as the players get a cut in the bonus if they miss out on a mandatory event.
Casper Ruud during a match.
A season of highs and lows for Ruud
As mentioned earlier, Ruud won the biggest title of his career, but on the other hand, the Norwegian failed to win back-to-back matches in the Grand Slams this season. Hence, Ruud is not super satisfied with his 2025 season.
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“It has been a mixture of highs and lows,” Ruud tells Bolavip. “This is the first season where I have experienced being out a few weeks in a row with my knee. That was a new challenge, obviously.
“It was a memorable season because of the Madrid title, but I am not sitting here being super satisfied overall. There were too many early losses in tournaments, but I try to learn from those. Like I said, it will be memorable because I won the biggest title in my career this year, and I was playing some really good tennis during that time.”
All or nothing mentality
The 26-year-old still has a chance of reaching the ATP Finals, however, it will require some massive results at the end of the season. He says that he is still hoping to qualify for the prestigious event.
Casper Ruud at the Laver Cup.
“The season is not over yet, and I hope I can finish it strong and maybe climb my way towards having a chance to reach the ATP Finals. But it is going to be really tough, so I am just trying to play well these last three weeks, and then we will see after Paris,” Ruud adds.
“If youare finishing 11 or 15, I mean, what is going to make the difference? Nothing, in my opinion, so it is kind of all or nothing at this point. I am going to try to use that as a motivation and give it a final push.
“There are other players in the same situation. The race is always like this. I will focus on one match at a time and not on points and that stuff, because last year I was thinking too much about points.”
Ruud understands Djokovic
Novak Djokovic recently made a comment about the scheduling, which got a lot of attention, with one of the things being said that the players are not united enough and investing enough time into changing things.
Novak Djokovic (left) and Casper Ruud.
Multiple players have recently criticized the number of tournaments and matches, and Ruud, who has played 47 matches this season and dealt with an injury, backs Djokovic.
“Of course, Novak has a point,” Ruud explains. “He has more experience than any other player. Sure, you can pick and choose in a way, because we are not hired by the ATP, we are bosses of our own schedule. What I criticized and talked about at the French Open was that there is an economic motivation to play and not skip any Masters 1000s with the bonus and everything.
“But yeah, sure, if you are in the top 10, top 15, you make a lot of money, but you also spend a lot of money with all the expenses that you have, so you don’t want to miss out on any money if you don’t need to.”
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Ruud continues by saying that there is an economic motivation to play, as the players will be punished financially if they don’t play the mandatory events.
“I know that if you are not healthy or not eligible to play, you won’t be put in jail if you don’t play, but there is also an economic incentive to play, and some people care more about it than others. But I think the season is long,” he says.
Planning changes
While the schedule has been demanding for Ruud, the Norwegian is taking it as a lesson to prepare things differently next season, hoping to find more consistencty throughout the year.
Casper Ruud answering questions from Bolavip.
“To have a mandatory event like Paris that late in the season makes the season really, really long. It’s the same for everyone, but going forward I will plan the schedule a bit differently, maybe skipping a few events here and there.
“I had a very hectic 3–4 years since I reached the top 10. I played a lot of events, and I played some exhibitions in the preseason, so those are some choices that I have made, which I look back on and think I shouldn’t have done. For the future, that is something I will take into consideration.”
Ruud is seeded as number two, with Holger Rune being the top-seeded player in Stockholm, where Bolavip will be present all week.