Casper Ruud explains why he cut his hair short ahead of ATP Finals
NewsSaturday, 15 November 2025 at 22:55
Casper Ruud's new haircut surprised many, and he has revealed what inspired him to adopt his much-changed look.
Ruud was the second alternate at the 2025 ATP Finals. He did not play any matches because no player had injury issues. Alexander Bublik was the first alternate ahead of the Norwegian, but did not compete either.
Novak Djokovic's withdrawal from the ATP Finals made Ruud the second alternate. Had the 24-time Grand Slam champion participated in Turin, Lorenzo Musetti would have been the first alternate and Bublik the second.
Footage of Ruud arriving at the tournament was the first time that fans saw his new haircut. He shared some light-hearted words with Carlos Alcaraz, whose brother cut his hair even shorter than Ruud's at the 2025 US Open.
Multiple-time Grand Slam doubles champion Elena Vesnina asked Ruud about that in an interview at the ATP Finals for BB Tennis. This year's Madrid Open winner said how quickly his hair now dries influenced the move.
"It was only my idea. I was doing a lot of swimming on holiday, coming in and out of the ocean, and I thought it was better to just cut it because after like three seconds it is dry. So, that's kind of why I did it. It's just comfortable and practical, but I will probably let it grow back out, and in some months, it will be back to normal."
Fans online had a mixed reaction to Ruud's new look, but no one can argue that it's not more practical. Those who do not like it will be happy to hear that the shorter hair is not planned to be a long-term change.
Casper Ruud's search for a maiden Grand Slam will continue in 2026
Despite already enjoying a career to be proud of, Ruud may retire with a sense of incompleteness if he does not win a Grand Slam, especially since he has been so close after three appearances in the final.
Ruud himself would probably admit there is no chance of him winning Wimbledon, a tournament he has never reached the third round of. That leaves three opportunities at the Australian Open, the French Open, and the US Open.
Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner's domination of men's tennis since the start of 2024 severely complicates Ruud's chances. Sinner has won the last two Australian Opens, while Alcaraz was the 2024 and 2025 French Open champion.
The US Open has tended to be the most open Grand Slam in the last 15 years, but Alcaraz and Sinner have each won that title in the last two years. Ruud also lost the 2022 final at Flushing Meadows to Alcaraz.
Despite the Spaniard's excellence on clay, the French Open, where Ruud was the runner-up in 2022 and 2023, probably remains the Norwegian's best chance of claiming a Grand Slam title in the coming years.
Alexander Zverev is another three-time Grand Slam finalist who has yet to win a title at that level. The German was ridiculed by many earlier this season when he claimed that tournaments are making courts slower to favor Alcaraz and Sinner.
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