"Casper Ruud absolutely cooked drama queens like Daniil Medvedev" - Fans react to Norwegian calling out players over frequent complaints about balls

Casper Ruud recently took a swipe at players who complain about tennis balls. Ruud said he was "tired" of the complaints and referred to such instances as "drama". The Norwegian's take seemed to resonate with many fans, who shared their reactions on social media.

Three-time Major finalist Casper Ruud is the current World No. 8 and he has been ranked as high as No. 2. So far this year, Ruud has won two ATP Tour-level titles; the Geneva Open (ATP 250) and the Barcelona Open (ATP 500).

This week, the Norwegian joined American former players John Isner, Jack Sock, Steve Johnson, and Sam Querrey, on the Nothing Major podcast. During his conversation with the Americans, Ruud expressed his dislike for players who regularly complain about balls at tournaments. Ruud did not name any particular player.

The comments were shared by a fan on X (formerly Twitter).

"You see players complain about the balls all the time. I’m getting so tired of like ‘Oh, I feel my elbow… I feel this, that. I can’t produce power. It suits this player..’ Come on. Just play. For me what’s funny is some players come like 5 days in advance to practice. And I do it myself a lot of the times, unless you’re going from tournament to tournament.

"They string like 28 racquets to get the right tension. Then they come to the 4th round and start complaining about the balls. But it’s been the same balls for the past 9 days. What’s the point of bringing it up now to the umpire? Like what is he gonna change? ‘yeah, let me call Dunlop I’ll have them send over a can for you’ . What’s the point? Just to make drama out of nothing?"

Following this, one set of fans appreciated Casper Ruud's take, lauding the Norwegian for his unfiltered honesty.

"Casper Ruud is a no-nonsense player. Whatever issue he raises has always some amount of definitive weight," a fan wrote.

"Ruud is so underrated as a tennis personality," commented another.

"Do I have to come back to his sport and root for this guy now? smh," another chimed in.

However, some others felt Ruud's dig was aimed at former World No. 1 and 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev. The Russian had recently complained about the balls in use at the 2024 Rolex Shanghai Masters. According to Medvedev at the time, the balls favored Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, the current World No. 1 and World No. 2 respectively.

"He absolutely cooked the drama queens like Medvedev lmao," wrote one fan.

"What does Daniil have to say to this?" one asked.

"Ruud coming for throats this fall, In his quote bag," another weighed in.

Recently, Ruud also shared his thoughts on the Six Kings Slam, a high-profile exhibition event that was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

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"There are other countries that are controversial that we play in" - Casper Ruud on controversial Six Kings Slam

Casper Ruud (Source: Getty)

The recently concluded Six Kings Slam saw the likes of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, and Holger Rune, play in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. There were several critics of the tournament, including Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs and former World No. 1 Andy Roddick.

During an interaction with the media, Casper Ruud was asked if he had been invited to the exhibition event. Saudi Arabia's hosting of the tournament has come under the scanner for "sportswashing." Several commentators have spoken about the state investing in sports amid lingering questions over its human rights records.

Ruud said:

"I didn't get an offer from Six Kings Slam, but I have had offers in the past and I chose not to go. It is of course a controversial country in many ways, but there are also other countries that are controversial that we travel to and play in."

Casper Ruud is currently preparing for his 2024 Rolex Paris Masters campaign, where he is set to compete in both singles and doubles. In the singles, he is the No. 7 seed and is waiting to find out who his first opponent will be.

In the doubles, he is slated to partner Tomas Machac, with the pair's first match slated to be against the duo of Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Santiago Gonzalez.