"Maybe it's the salmon or fresh water" - Ruud talks rise of Norway in world sports
ATP
Casper Ruud is one of many Norwegian athletes that is leaving a mark in the world of sports and he talked about it ahead of his Break Point spotlight.
Ruud is one of the players that was featured in the Break Point Netflix series and he sat down with ATPTour.com to comment on some of the things that will be shown in the series.
Ruud is just one of many athletes from his country who are leaving a mark in history. When asked about Norway's success, he wasn't sure why the athletes from the country were so successful.
"Maybe it's the salmon we eat or the fresh water. I don't know what's going on… We hope we can keep it going, that more people can know about Norway as a country and also athletes from Norway that can do well in bigger sports."
Ruud is already considered the greatest tennis player from Norway ever, and he replaced his father in that role. His father, Christian, had a fairly successful career himself, peaking as ATP World No. 39. Casper is far better and he talked about the relationship he has with his father, who is also his coach.
"We looked at some [other coaches], but I said that, ‘I’m more comfortable with you being around. I know that a coach will do so much for you and be very helpful, but when it's the father as well, you feel like you are taken extra care of, because a father will care maybe those extra percentages because he's your family."
Ruud idolized Rafael Nadal growing up, and he got the chance to practice with him at his academy. He's the most successful player who attended the Spaniard's academy to date, but he most likely won't be the only one. The academy draws talents from around the world and it greatly helped him.
"When I practise with Rafa, he gets to push me around and I’m usually exhausted after a couple of hours. They’re tough sessions, but they’re great."
