"Only entered top 10 to donate wins to every Tom, Dick and Harry" - Tennis fans slam Casper Ruud for 3R loss to Cristian Garin at Indian Wells 2023

Casper Ruud suffered yet another early exit in 2023 with a third-round loss to Cristian Garin at the Indian Wells Masters. Tennis fans shared their disappointment with the World No. 4's performance, highlighting the large drop in his level compared to 2022.

Ruud continued his shocking run of form at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Following a second-round loss to Jenson Brooksby at the 2023 Australian Open, the World No. 4 announced his decision to take a break from the ATP tour and treat the month of February as an off-season.

His decision does not seem to have paid dividends as the Norwegian handed Taro Daniel the first top-10 win of his career in the second round of the Mexican Open on his return to the ATP circuit. At the BNP Paribas Open, the 24-year-old had an easy victory over Diego Schwartzman in the second round but was unable to repeat his performance against Garin.

Casper Ruud now has a 4-5 win-loss record for the season. He is yet to win consecutive matches in 2023.

Tennis fans were quick to share their disappointment with the Norwegian's performance. One fan pointed out how Ruud had been making a habit of treating his opponents to the first top-10 win of their career.

"Ofc Garin's first top 10 win on hard court is Casper Ruud, this guy only entered top 10 to donate wins to every tom, dick and harry," the fan wrote.

Another fan commented on the absurdity of Ruud's success in 2022 given the level of tennis he has been exhibiting this season.

"Casper Ruud really made the final in Miami, Roland Garros, Tour Finals and was a set and one point away from winning the US Open and becoming world #1… I like the guy but I can’t think of anything as absurd as this in tennis given the level of his tennis," they chimed in.

Here are some more fan reactions to Casper Ruud's early exit from Indian Wells 2023:

Cristian Garin discloses strategy behind win over Casper Ruud at Indian Wells 2023

Cristian Garin won the encounter against Ruud

Cristian Garin registered the best win of his career by defeating third seed Casper Ruud in the third round of the Indian Wells Masters. He extended his winning record against the Norwegian to 3-1.

In the post-match interview, Garin stated that he chose to play aggressively and move up to the net, as it doesn't allow Ruud time to play to his strengths. Garin also mentioned that he has known Ruud for a long time, which gave him a better perspective on how to neutralize his skills.

“I like to play aggressive and move a lot to the net, and I think Casper is a really good player when you give time to him. So I try to go aggressive, go to the net, and play like that… I’ve known Casper for a very long time, so it’s very special to keep playing like this in this tournament, so I want to keep going," Garin said.

Cristian Garin will take on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the fourth round of the Indian Wells Masters.