Casper Ruud shares adorable childhood pictures, flaunts Barcelona jersey

Former World No. 2 Casper Ruud recently provided a peek into his childhood, posting adorable pictures of his younger self on social media.

The 24-year-old Norwegian's last appearance on the tour was the 2023 French Open final, where he lost to Novak Djokovic in straight sets. Ruud has competed in three Grand Slam finals in his career so far, but has unfortunately been on the losing end on all three occasions.

On Thursday, June 22, Ruud posted a few of his childhood pictures on social media as part of an advertisement campaign with sports equipment brand Yonex.

In the pictures, Ruud can be seen trying out various sports as a child, including tennis, football, ice hockey, and golf. Earlier this year, Ruud released a cinematic advertisement with Yonex as part of the "Beyond What I See" campaign, which captured his journey as a professional tennis player.

"Try everything. Then find out what the future holds.#BeyondWhatISee @yonex_tennis," Ruud captioned his social media post.

In one of the pictures, Ruud is wearing a jersey of Football Club Barcelona and standing on a football field. Fans in the comments trolled Ruud and pointed out that his idol, Rafael Nadal, is a die-hard fan of Barcelona's eternal rivals, Real Madrid.

How has Casper Ruud fared in 2023?

2023 French Open - Day Fifteen

Casper Ruud endured a difficult start to the 2023 season. The Norwegian suffered early exits at the Australian Open and the Acapulco Open.

Ruud was eliminated in the Round of 32 in both Sunshine Double tournaments, losing to Cristian Garin in Indian Wells and Botic van de Zandschulp in Miami. However, in Portugal, at the season's first clay tournament, Ruud secured his first title of the season in Estoril, beating Miomir Kecmanovic in the final.

Following a series of poor results at Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, and Madrid, the three-time Grand Slam finalist reached the semifinals in Rome. Despite winning the first set, Ruud lost to Holger Rune 7-6(2), 4-6, 2-6.

After losing to Djokovic in the Roland Garros final, Casper Ruud reflected on his loss and thanked his fans for their support. He also congratulated the Serb on winning his record-breaking 23rd Major trophy.

"I am very thankful for the support from the French audience and Roland-Garros has become very special to me. Congrats to Novak and his team in making history with amazing achievements," Ruud wrote on social media.