Casper Ruud goes ‘beyond’ in cinematic ad for Yonex, plots return to form in Estoril

The Norwegian takes fans behind the scenes of his rise to a career-high of No. 2 and two major finals, sharing on and off-court moments of his continuing journey.

ByDavid Kane

Published Apr 07, 2023

WATCH: Ruud caught up with the Tennis Channel Live Desk at the BNP Paribas Open last month.

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It was hard to imagine a young boy from Norway could…be ranked on top of the world...

Casper Ruud shared some of his deepest thoughts in a stirring ad for racquet and clothing sponsor Yonex this week, taking fans behind the scenes of his rise to a career-high of world No. 2 last season.

“The last two-three years or so have obviously been very giving for me. I’ve reached beyond and better what I thought I’d be able to do,” narrates Ruud between shots of the two-time major finalist training on and off the court.

Ruud indeed surpassed the expectations of many through what was a breakthrough 2022, one that featured runner-up finishes at Roland Garros and the US Open, plus finals at the Miami Open and Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

His start to 2023 hasn’t been as seamless, with many blaming his decision to play a full slate of off-season exhibition matches with Rafael Nadal for his underwhelming run of form through the first quarter. Still, Ruud aims to regain momentum now that he’s back on his beloved clay courts at the Millennium Estoril Open in Portugal.

“I’m very motivated and happy to be here,” he said before the tournament began. “It’s my favourite part of the season. I haven’t played like this (on the clay) since July. I must be rusty but I have a few days to prepare and I’m excited.”

The top seed in Estoril, Ruud will play for his first semifinal of the year against No. 5 seed Sebastian Baez on Friday.