Casper Ruud celebrates completion of junior tournament he launched in Norway, plays tennis with winners

Casper Ruud recently celebrated the successful conclusion of a junior tournament that he launched in his home country of Norway. As a gesture of support and encouragement for the young players, Ruud even took to the court himself and played a few matches with the tournament's winners.

The Norwegian's last appearance on the tour was at the 2023 French Open final, where he suffered a straight-set defeat to Novak Djokovic. He advanced to the final with impressive wins over Holger Rune and Alexander Zverev.

On Sunday, June 25, Casper Ruud took to social media to announce that he had hosted a tennis event in February this year for junior players under the age of 14 and 12. The tournament was a resounding success, with 252 matches played over the weekend, making it the largest individual junior tournament in Norway.

"In February, the team and I hosted a tennis event for juniors under 14 and under 12 years old. 252 matches were played over the weekend and it became the biggest individual junior tournament in Norway 🙌🏼 " Rudd wrote.

The 24-year old also played with the winners of the tournament. Ruud took the opportunity to wish them luck in the upcoming Nationals and offered some words of encouragement. He reminded everyone to never give up, to believe in themselves, and to have fun at the Nationals.

"Today I got to play with the winners 🏆 Best of luck at Nationals, everyone. Remember to never give up, believe in yourselves and have fun out there 😊 ," he added.

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Casper Ruud shifts focus to Wimbledon 2023 following French Open final defeat

Casper Ruud at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships

Following his defeat to Novak Djokovic in the 2023 French Open final, Casper Ruud is now focused on the upcoming 2023 Wimbledon Championships.

Over the past three years, the former World No. 2's performances at the grasscourt Major have been mediocre at best. His most notable achievement was reaching the second round in 2022.

Despite his lack of success on grass, Ruud has expressed his fondness for playing on the surface, even though it doesn't necessarily complement his style of play.

"Yeah, honestly, I think it's fun to play on grass," Ruud said. "Whenever I said that last year that grass is for golf players, it was more of a joke, that got taken too seriously. But I think it's fun to play. It doesn't suit my game very well. I feel a little uncomfortable in it."

Casper Ruud also stated that Wimbledon continues to be a much-anticipated occasion for him due to the tournament's rich history and worldwide acclaim.

"But it's always so fun to come to Wimbledon," he said. "It's maybe the most historic event that we have. If you ask people around the world, I think most people will say that they have heard about Wimbledon because of the name and all these things."