Casper Ruud reveals the humble side of Rafael Nadal - "He showed me some nice videos of his son and stuff, we're just normal guys"

Casper Ruud recently shared with fans a glimpse of the humble side of tennis legend Rafael Nadal.

The Spaniard is well renowned for his earnestness and intensity on the court, from the warm-up through the end of the match. As a result, his down-to-earth aspect is often overshadowed. However, Ruud, who has played with Rafael Nadal on the Latin America exhibition tour, revealed how humble and soft-spoken the Spaniard is off the court.

On the latest episode of Eurosport's Ruud Talk, the Norwegian reminisced about his time in the hotel with the 22-time Grand Slam winner. He stated that the Spaniard was talking with his wife back home alongside showing Ruud some videos of his newborn son.

"He was talking back home with his wife and his kids, showing me some nice videos of his son and stuff. So, we're just normal guys. That's what we all are in the end," Ruud said.

Following that, Ruud mentioned how people have this stereotypical view that athletes are "super strict." He stressed, however, that is not the case since they, too, know how to have fun.

"People think that athletes are like super strict or super serious all the time, but it's not always the case. We can have fun, we do other stuff in our personal lives as well," he said.

Nadal and Ruud recently played a Latin America exhibition tour. The duo faced each other five times, with Mexico being their final stop.

The former World No. 1 won four times, with his victories coming in Buenos Aires (Argentina), Bogota (Colombia), Belo Horizonte (Brazil), and Mexico. The Norwegian's only win came in Quito (Ecuador).

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"He switches on and off on his personal side" - Casper Ruud on Rafael Nadal

Casper Ruud and Rafael Nadal pictured at the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals.

Casper Ruud then reflected on Rafael Nadal's "fun" side, adding that he has a different demeanor on and off the court. He claimed that on the court, the Spaniard is "serious and dedicated," but off it, he is a lot of fun to be around.

"He has a sort of switch. He switches on and off on his personal side. I'm not going to go into all the details or whatever, but it's really fun to be around," Ruud said.

"He's not as serious and dedicated as he is on court. He likes to have fun. He dances around a little bit and enjoys a good glass of wine, for example, for dinner. I don't think he will be bothered me telling this, but he's a fun guy," he added.