Casper Ruud jokingly credits last year's Grand Slam final losses for his strong bond with Ons Jabeur

Casper Ruud and Ons Jabeur teamed up for the 11th edition of the Eisenhower Cup Tie Break Tens in Indian Wells on Tuesday, March 7. After beating Tommy Paul and Jessica Pegula 10-5 in a match, the Norwegian joked that his bond with Jabeur had strengthened because they both lost two Grand Slam finals each in 2022.

World No. 4 Ruud reached his maiden Grand Slam final at the 2022 French Open, where he lost 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 to 22-time Major champion Rafael Nadal. He was beaten 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (1), 6-3 by another Spaniard, Carlos Alcaraz, in the 2022 US Open final.

Jabeur, on the other hand, lost 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 against Elena Rybakina in the 2022 Wimbledon final before going down 6-2, 7-6 (5) in the 2022 US Open title clash against Iga Swiatek.

In an on-court interview, Ruud was asked to comment on his equation with the 28-year-old Tunisian.

"She's very nice. Ons and I, we both lost two finals last year of Slams, so we kind of have that together, we have a strong bond now. We have a lot in common. It was a great atmosphere," Casper Ruud said.

World No. 4 Jabeur also remarked that she enjoyed playing alongside Ruud.

"It was just about having fun and you know, Casper was really supportive. It was a great experience playing with him. It's amazing. Hopefully, it's a good start for both of us for the tournament," she said.

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Casper Ruud and Dominic Thiem to face Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic in Indian Wells R1

Dominic Thiem (L) and Casper Ruud

Casper Ruud and Dominic Thiem will team up for the doubles category at 2023 Indian Wells and take on the fourth-seeded pair Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic in the first round.

As far as the singles category is concerned, Ruud is seeded third and has received a bye in the first round. He will square off against either Diego Schwartzman or Federico Coria in the second round. Thiem will also feature in singles action after receiving a wildcard entry into the main draw.