Learning from Iga Swiatek, taking inspiration from Casper Ruud & more: Ulrikke Eikeri opens up in Exclusive from Australian Open

Norway's Ulrikke Eikeri started playing tennis professionally in 2007. Thus she has eight more years of tour experience than her compatriot Casper Ruud and nine more than World No. 2 Iga Swiatek. However, that doesn't stop Eikeri from taking inspiration from the two.

The 32-year-old shared the court with Ruud and Swiatek a couple of weeks ago at the United Cup. She joined forces with Ruud for mixed-doubles duty and battled against Poland's Swiatek, accompanied by Jan Zielinski.

Eikeri most recently partnered with Japan's Makoto Ninomiya and competed for the women's doubles title at the 2025 Australian Open. The duo were able to go through the first round but failed against crowd favorites Kimberly Birrell and Olivia Gadecki in the second, losing 6-3, 7-5.

Following the disappointing result, the 2022 French Open mixed-doubles finalist joined Sportskeeda for an exclusive chat on Melbourne Park's interview terrace and enthused over the city, countryman Ruud, and five-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek.

---

Exclusive chat with Ulrikke Eikeri

2024 United Cup - Sydney: Previews - Source: Getty

Sportskeeda: Tough day on the court but you were able to win in the first round, how do you feel?

Ulrikke Eikeri: Yeah, tough match today, definitely didn’t play very well, really struggled with all my shots, didn’t feel good on the court. It’s a little bit different conditions today, very windy. So yeah, disappointed with the way I played.

Sportskeeda: We’ve had two days of rain already, how do you feel about the city weather in general?

Ulrikke Eikeri: Melbourne is a beautiful city, I really enjoy it here, love to come here and play every year. Every day though, the weather changes, so that’s something we just have to be ready for.

Sportskeeda: Do you like anything specific about the city, any food joints you visit every time?

Ulrikke Eikeri: I love the coffee, love the food. I’ve been mostly eating on-site because they have everything. It’s amazing quality. So, I haven’t tried too many different places.

Sportskeeda: What’s the biggest lesson tennis has taught you so far?

Ulrikke Eikeri: Umm… good question! The biggest lesson… I mean it’s just to keep chasing your dreams, keep working hard every day. Enjoy. Have fun. My dream has always been to be a professional tennis player, to win a Grand Slam, of course, is the ultimate dream. So yeah, it’s still what keeps me motivated, keep practicing hard, keep trying to improve every day.

Sportskeeda: You were very close to a Grand Slam title in 2022, French Open, how was that like?

Ulrikke Eikeri: I think we played a very good match in the final. We left it all out there. I really enjoyed it. It was an amazing experience playing at Philippe Chatrier for the first time. So overall, just a great experience.

Sportskeeda: You’re doing well in doubles. Do you also wanna do the same in singles?

Ulrikke Eikeri: I’m not focusing so much on the singles. Now it’s more the doubles that’s on my focus.

Sportskeeda: And you have Casper Ruud from Norway. How does he motivate you to play tennis?

Ulrikke Eikeri: For sure Casper [Ruud] is a huge inspiration for me and all other Norwegians. Coming from a small country like Norway, we didn’t have many good tennis players. We had Christian Ruud, Casper’s dad. So they’re both kind of showing the way, showing that it’s possible to be a good tennis player from Norway. So yeah, like I said, it’s big inspiring me and also all of Norway.

Sportskeeda: Any player that you want to face… from the current lot or maybe the past?

Ulrikke Eikeri: Good question… I don’t know if there’s anyone in particular I’d like to play. I feel like I’ve played mostly against everyone. Of course, I really like to watch Casper play. On the women’s side, I try to look at all the top players, learn from them, like Iga [Swiatek]. She’s such a great player. So, it’s nice to watch her and learn.

Sportskeeda: Lastly, what are your plans for 2025?

Ulrikke Eikeri: I mean, I always try to improve my game every day. I wanna try to break new barriers, do better than I have done before, that’s always the goal. Hopefully, in some 1000s and Slams, I can maybe make it to the semifinals would be good.