Meet Casper Ruud’s parents, including former tennis player dad Christian as the Norwegian makes the US Open final.
Casper Ruud is into the US Open final where he takes on Carlos Alcaraz. The 23-year-old is the fifth seed in New York this year, and is the highest-ranked Norwegian tennis player in history.
Ruud made the final at this year’s French Open where he lost in straight sets to Rafael Nadal.
His toughest test at Flushing Meadows so far came in the the round of 16 against Tommy Paul. He defeated the American in a five set match lasting almost four and a half hours. He followed up that with wins over Italy’s Matteo Berrettini and Russian Karen Khachanov.
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Casper Ruud’s parents and family
The tennis star was born in Oslo, Norway, on December 22, 1998, and grew up in the Snarøya district of Bærum. Casper Ruud’s parents are father Christian Ruud and mother Lele Rudd, with the latter often cheering him on during matches from his family box.
The 23-year-old also has two sisters, Charlotte and Caroline, with the former also playing tennis.
His father introduced Casper to a range of sports as a youngster, including football, hockey, and golf. However, he placed a racquet in Casper’s hands when he was a one-year-old and the rest is history.
His dad is a famous tennis player in Norway
It was the natural thing to do, and the two would often play on the family’s court in their tennis garden. Casper Ruud’s dad Christian is a former tennis player who was Norway’s no.1.
He achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No. 39 in October 1995, and reached the fourth round of the 1997 Australian Open and the quarterfinals of the 1997 Monte Carlo Masters.
When Casper broke into the top 100 in 2020, he became the first Norwegian to do so since his father in 1994. Christian was the highest ranked Norwegian male player ever until Casper surpassed him.
Christian is also Casper’s coach
Dad Christian has coached Casper for most of his life, and the pair have developed an extremely strong bond because of it.
“I know that he cares about me and he wants everything in the best way for me. So, of course, he’s been a really big part of my success and my team, ever since I was little,” Casper said.
“I’m from a small tennis country, and I don’t have too many people to look up to in my home country, except for him. He’s the only one who knows how it’s been and how the life on the Tour is. I think it’s been a huge advantage, even though I’m from Norway, to have my father so close to me and helping me with my tennis.”
Speaking about coaching his son, Christian said: “I am enjoying it a lot. Everyone has compared him to me when he beat my records… It is great to see him win titles and see him be the last man standing is special.
“I am super proud.”
Ruud’s parents will no doubt be cheering him on as he look to win his first Grand Slam against Carlos Alcaraz.