Casper Ruud: A calm presence

With five consecutive Laver Cup appearances to his name, including San Francisco, Casper Ruud has earned the reputation as Team Europe’s “statesman.”

The title fits the stylish Norwegian, who pairs a polished off-court presence with thoughtful insights about the game. On court, his quiet determination and understated intensity have carried him as high as World No.2, making Ruud one of the most reliable and respected figures in the competition.

How it’s going
Ruud is the most accomplished player to come out of Norway, coached by his father, Christian, who achieved a career-high No.39 ranking on the ATP Tour. Since turning pro 10 years ago, the 26-year-old has amassed 13 singles titles, none bigger than his ATP Masters 1000 breakthrough at Madrid this year. On his title-run, Ruud defeated high quality opponents including Taylor Fritz (R16), Daniil Medvedev (QF), Francisco Cerundolo (SF) and Jack Draper in the championship match.

He followed with a run to the Rome Masters quarterfinals. Other stand-out results came in Dallas, where he was runner-up to Denis Shapovalov. Ruud, who will wed long-term girlfriend Maria Galligani in 2026, is a three-time Grand Slam singles finalist: at Roland Garros in 2022 and 2023, and at the US Open in 2022, where he fell to [then] upcoming Spaniard, Carlos Alcaraz.

The appeal of Laver Cup
Ruud has carved a strong record at the Laver Cup since making his debut in Boston in 2021, where he set the tone with victory over Team World’s Reilly Opelka in the opening match of the competition. He repeated the honors the following year in London, defeating Jack Sock, and proved his value again in Vancouver, where he was the lone Team Europe player to claim a singles win, overcoming Tommy Paul.

“I got such a kick out of it the first time I played, so I was thinking to myself, ‘if I have the opportunity to play, I would like to play every year that I have a chance’,” Ruud said. “This is the fifth time now and I think on the European team will be Sasha (Zverev) and I have played it more times. I don’t consider myself any higher up or more important than the others, but it’s sure we have some experience. And Sasha as well has won some great matches when it mattered. I think our experience will be helpful for some rookies on the European team. And, of course, we had a phenomenal year last year, where Carlos stepped up and clinched a match for us.”

Looking ahead to San Francisco
Oslo-born Ruud said bonds formed during the Laver Cup linger throughout the season, when teammates become rivals once again. “For me, that’s been really nice and meaningful,” he reflected. “I’m from a country where we don’t have many other tennis players around. So, I’ve always been traveling and playing tournaments on my own.

“It’s great to have someone you consider a bit closer and more friendly, and someone you could actually call up and say, ‘hey, you want to grab a dinner and talk about that time we were on the Laver Cup?’”

Ruud met Team Europe’s new Captain Yannick Noah in Berlin and was charmed by the Frenchman’s entertaining personality. “He’s a lively character, and he’s lived a really fun life, on the court and off the court,” said Ruud. “He is very into music, so I think we’ll have some pretty fun music going on in the locker room. He might even sing for us. He said he has some good plans for us last year, so let’s see what he comes up with.”

With Vice Captain Tim Henman in the wings, Ruud expects Noah will challenge all European players, “in a positive way to lift up their game even more.” One aspect of Laver Cup that draws Ruud back each year is the quickening pulse he experiences watching teammates negotiate a crucial point. “It’s really nerve-wracking sometimes to sit on the bench,” he said. “I remember last year in Berlin, it got down to the last match and down to the wire, Carlos and Taylor battling for the last points.

“I was more exhausted watching tennis that whole afternoon than playing myself. You’re so into it and you just want the best for your teammate. The stress is pretty high, but it’s really fun.”

Ruud has experienced triumph and defeat at Laver Cup, and while he definitely prefers getting his hands on the silverware, he finds the Laver Cup weekend exhilarating even when the cards don’t fall Team Europe’s way “Last year I remember very well. I don’t play much doubles but I was put on doubles on day two, and then we didn’t get the point. And I came back and played doubles the next morning (with Alcaraz).”

“You’re never really out of it until the last point is played. We’ve had times where Europe have been dominating. We have had times where World has been dominating. And then we had some really close ones. Luckily, last year the close one ended up in our favor.”