“Casper's thinking ‘I thought Rafa was meant to be here’” – Tennis fans react to Casper Ruud’s repulsive look in picture with Novak Djokovic while idol Rafael Nadal remains absent at Laver Cup

Rafael Nadal was a notable absentee as Casper Ruud and Novak Djokovic accompanied the rest of the Laver Cup crew on a tour in London for the tournament photoshoot on Wednesday.

Nadal is set to arrive in London on Thursday, September 22, a day before the commencement of Roger Federer's farewell tournament. The Spaniard’s travel was delayed as he stayed back in his home country to accept the Camino Real Award from the King of Spain in a special ceremony in Madrid.

Although he was unable to participate in the pre-tournament events, the 22-time Major champion had an enthusiastic response to all the scenes happening in the British capital.

Meanwhile, World No. 2 Casper Ruud was captured in a candid frame alongside Novak Djokovic as they sailed on the River Thames with their other teammates. Tennis fans quickly took an interest in the unusual photograph and came up with amusing remarks describing the scene.

Casper Ruud has long been known to be a fan of Rafael Nadal and has also trained at his academy in Mallorca, Spain. As the Norwegian bore a seemingly repulsive look on his face, many fans teased him about the picture with Nadal’s arch-rival Novak Djokovic in his idol’s absence.

Another fan joked that Ruud was possibly annoyed with Djokovic tattling about his brother Djordje's wedding, which took place last week in Belgrade.

Yet another fan was of the opinion that the World No. 2 was in disbelief that he was the highest ranked player present, despite having Novak Djokovic, who is currently ranked World No. 7.

Novak Djokovic, Casper Ruud and Rafael Nadal will compete for Team Europe at Laver Cup

Serb Novak Djokovic, Norwegian Casper Ruud and Spaniard Rafael Nadal will represent Team Europe at the Laver Cup, to be held from September 23-25 in London.

They will join Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Stefanos Tsitsipas to complete the main line-up. Matteo Berrettini and Cameron Norrie have been roped in as the alternates for the team.

Roger Federer has expressed his desire to play the doubles fixture alongside his longtime rival and friend Rafael Nadal on Friday night in what will be the final match of his exemplary career. Matteo Berrettini is expected to replace the Swiss maestro thereafter in the remaining encounters.

About the author

Pranjali is a tennis journalist and content specialist at Sportskeeda, having been with the company for almost two years. With a Master's degree, she proudly embraces her inner "data nerd" and uses her expertise to analyze the stats that make tennis more exciting.

She keeps a tab on the players' press conferences and interviews to ensure she is up to date with the latest in the world of tennis. Pranjali has garnered over 10 million reads across her 1500+ articles and is the author of Sportskeeda's most-read tennis article to date.

While her childhood idol is Rafael Nadal, Pranjali acknowledges Novak Djokovic's supremacy as the GOAT when it comes to numbers and admires Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff for their diverse playing styles. When she is not deep in the tennis world, Pranjali unwinds with dancing, painting, and fashion, and also likes solving puzzles, quizzes, and complex math problems to keep her mind sharp.

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