Casper Ruud has praised his ATP rival Rafael Jodar ahead of their quarterfinal clash at the Shanghai Masters.
Ruud is into the last eight of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament after overcoming Felix Auger-Aliassime, who retired hurt while trailing the Norwegian 2-5 in the first set of their last 16 match. Meanwhile, Jodar came from behind to beat Botic van de Zandschulp 6-7(4-7), 6-4, 6-2.
Jodar and Ruud will now play for the very first time at the Shanghai Masters, with the Norwegian now discussing the exciting match-up with the Spaniard. They do, however, know each other well after representing Team Europe at the recent Laver Cup.
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Casper Ruud predicts Rafael Jodar to be a ‘problem’ for many players in the future
Sharing his thoughts on Jodar claiming 40 wins in his first full ATP season, Ruud told the media in Shanghai: “Yeah, it’s really impressive what Rafa has done. I mean, I think he, together with his father, have a great mindset. The fact that they chose to go to college, I think one year, I think that probably taught him a lot about matches, playing matches, feeling pressure in many matches that he played, when you play for a team and for your school.
“I think that was smart from them to do one year of college to gain a lot of experience. Look, he came out after the year being top 20, top 15 in the world already, and beating a lot of the top players. So, he’s had a very good, many good calls so far in his career, and I’m sure he will just get better and better. So, I mean, he will be a problem for many players in the future, and I hope I can be on the better end on Friday. He will probably feel the same, and hope that he’s the one on the better end. It will be a great match.”
Casper Ruud excited to play ‘fearless’ Rafael Jodar in Shanghai
It has indeed been a fantastic season for the 20-year-old, who claimed his maiden ATP title at Marrakech earlier in the year. He currently occupies 13th place in the rankings, and is also pushing for a place in next month’s ATP Finals.
In the dark going into their match, Ruud said of his planned approach: “We are both in the same situation, I didn’t play him, he didn’t play me, so we don’t really know. But we will both do our best to come out on top. I’m sure it will be a good match if we both play well.
“We were just teammates in the Laver Cup team, so we had some practices together. He’s a very nice kid, or nice young guy, one of the younger guys on tour. The year he’s had has been unbelievable to watch from the outside, and now I have a chance to play him, so I’m excited.”
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And when asked what he’s expecting to face, he replied: “No, I mean, he plays also fearless, you know, big shots, playing well from the baseline. I practiced with him once or twice before, so we have a little feeling of each other’s game. He has most likely watched me more than I watched him over the last years, but I don’t know, you’ll have to ask him.
“He probably has a little bit better of an idea of what kind of player I am than what he is to me. So, let’s see, I will have to do some good scouting, and be ready for a really tough match against a young great player.”
It should be a high-quality first meeting between the pair, with the winner of the match set to take on one of Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Tommy Paul or Zizou Bergs. And should they win that semifinal, a final against top seed and the new year-end number one Alexander Zverev is on the cards.
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