“Artsy” Casper Ruud shows off his painting skills ahead of Tokyo start

Creating an artistic masterpiece during the time it takes for a changeover? It’s all in a day’s work for Casper Ruud, who recently showed off his lightning quick painting skills in a video for Tennis Channel.

“Some impressive stuff here!” Ruud commented, seeing a collection of pieces hand-painted by the likes of Sloane Stephens, Jannik Sinner, Victoria Azarenka and more.

But once at the easel, the world No. 8 quickly realized that it wasn’t about matching up to his peers—it was all about keeping up with the clock, as just two minutes of painting time was not nearly enough to bring out all the Norwegian’s artistry.

“I’m going to try to enter my artsy side,” Ruud said at the start, before producers informed him in response, “You have about a minute and a half.”

By the time he was finished, Ruud’s landscape contained a dramatic “Miami Beach sunset”—with “no beach” but with an impressive blend of colors. (See video above)

The world No. 8 is facing a time crunch on the court too, having touched down in Tokyo for the ATP 500-level Japan Open Tennis Championships looking to double his 2023 trophy count.

Ruud, who won his lone title at the Estoril Open on clay in April, is currently No. 10 on the ATP Race to Turin, and battling for one of four remaining spots at the Nitto ATP Finals. Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Sinner have already qualified.

Coming off a fourth-round run in Shanghai last week and a quarterfinal in Beijing—where he fell to Alcaraz in straight sets—the No. 2 seed faces Japanese No. 2 Yosuke Watanuki in his opening match.