Norway's Casper Ruud is participating in the world's most popular sporting event wearing an outfit symbolic of Denmark's flag colors, and it is getting attention back home for the wrong reasons.
Ruud was competing in his first Olympics in Paris and snapped a two-match losing streak in the first round of the singles tournament. He defeated Japan's Taro Daniel 7-5, 6-1 and will play Italy's Andrea Vavassori in the next round on Monday.
The Paris Olympics tennis tournament is held on the clay courts of Roland Garros. Ruud has very special memories of playing there. He reached the final in successive years (2022 and 2023), losing to the two most successful men in Grand Slam history—Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Ruud's opening-round win at the weekend was hardly dramatic. Daniel only exerted concerted pressure in a tight first set, but the veteran Japanese man could not deal with the World No. 8's heavy topspin for the rest of the match.
But at the Olympics, athletes or tournaments won't get away with anything. Ruud became the centre of attention in his home country over his choice of tennis gear.
The 25-year-old wore a predominantly sharp red T-shirt featuring a white cross pattern that drew comparisons to the flag of Denmark. Ruud's shorts were plain white with two blocks of red on the front and back. They also had a black accent.
Norway's flag features a navy blue Scandinavian cross bordered in white, which was missing on his top. He also wore red wristbands and a white headband. Watching him in action, it was tough to imagine he was not representing Denmark.
It is common practice for athletes at the Olympics to wear uniforms or attire that reflect their nation's flag colors, identity, and symbols. Some even bear the country's name on them.
Ruud has drawn flak from Norwegians. Fashion expert Marianne Jemtegard described the outfit as a "disc boom" and said the two-time French Open finalist had not considered its negative impact.
"The jersey is undeniably very similar to the Danish flag. He has thought very little about what signals he sends out when he puts it on today."
Ruud accepted the constructive feedback and pointed out that it was not his choice or decision to sew the outfit in two colors but that of his clothing sponsor, Yonex, highlighting the missed blue that would have differentiated it from the Denmark flag.
"I would have liked to see a little more blue in it myself. It is not me who designed it, and i just put up with what i get. But yes, i missed the blue."
"Now I have a bit of blue in my shoes, and a Norwegian flag there. But it is very little. So yes, I will give feedback that we can get something blue. I can't promise anything, but i missed something blue.
Ruud has tweeted asking his followers on X on whether he "should try to add a little blue to the outfit" before his second-round match. Holger Rune popped up in the comments section and joked that he should retain the outfit as Danish fans "might think" he is playing.
"People might think I play anyway. Keep it up with the Scandinavian wins (and the outfit)."
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