"Doesn't seem to have the fire that players like Alcaraz, Rune, Medvedev have" - Tennis fans react to Casper Ruud fanboying over Rafael Nadal

Casper Ruud has consistently cited Rafael Nadal as his favorite player. The pair are currently in the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires, as they prepare for an exhibition tour of South America.

In a press conference on Tuesday, the Norwegian was asked about the one thing he has always wanted to change in the tennis world. The 23-year-old gave it some thought before stating that he would change the outcome of the 2012 Australian Open final, in which his idol Nadal was defeated by Novak Djokovic.

Ruud's remarks caught the eyes of tennis enthusiasts, with one arguing that Casper Ruud lacks the competitive spirit that players like Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune, and Daniil Medvedev possess.

"Ruud doesn't seem to have the fire that players like Alcaraz, Rune, Medvedev have. They have that cockiness that makes them believe they are the best and can beat the best while he doesn't seem to have that mentality. Even that one interview of him as a kid said his hopes were top 50 while young Alcaraz said he'd be number one," a fan wrote.

Another fan remarked that while he loved Ruud, the 23-year-old felt like an extremely nice, friendly neighbor who later turned out to be a serial killer.

"I like Ruud, but at the same time he reminds of a super nice friendly neigbour that turns out to be the neighbourhood serial killer. He needs to bring forth the serial killer in him to beat the top guys," another fan stated.

Here are a few more fan reactions:

---

A look at Casper Ruud's 2022 season

Casper Ruud in action at the 2022 Paris Masters.

Casper Ruud began the year ranked World No. 8 and, seven final appearances later, he ended the season as the World No. 3. The 23-year-old was successful in three ATP 250 tournaments in Buenos Aires, Geneva, and Gstaad.

His idol Rafael Nadal defeated him in the French Open final to clinch his 14th Roland Garros trophy. Carlos Alcaraz defeated him twice in title clashes, the US Open and the Miami Open. Ruud recently reached the summit clash of the ATP Finals in Turin, where he lost in straight sets to Novak Djokovic. His win-loss record for 2022 stands at 51–22.

Casper Ruud recently stated during a press conference in Turin that while he was unhappy to have dropped important games throughout the year, he was happy with his performances in general.

"It's been disappointing to end up losing these big finals. Overall if you gave me the offer to end the year at No. 3, play the finals that I played, on the 1st of January this year, I would probably sign the contract right away. No doubt about it. I've overachieved compared to my own mind, so I'm very happy about that," Ruud said.