Casper Ruud is generally quite diplomatic with his statements, often avoiding anything problematic. It seems as though he dropped his guard this one time. Ruud chose not to be politically correct and candidly spoke about the idea of a potential Masters 1000 being held in Saudi Arabia.
The Norwegian tennis star is currently participating in the Stockholm Open 2024. While in Sweden, the 25-year-old has taken not-so-subtle jabs at the six players participating in the 6 Kings Slam exhibition tournament in Saudi Arabia. This event features the six biggest names in men’s tennis right now – Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Holger Rune.
Ruud didn’t think it was morally correct to play in a controversy-riddled country like Saudi Arabia. It may seem like the former World No.2 is salty that he wasn’t invited to play in Riyadh and get an opportunity to make a large sum of money. However, he clarified that he’d previously rejected such offers.
“I didn’t get an offer from the Six Kings Slam, but I have had offers in the past, and I have chosen not to go. It is obviously a controversial country in terms of many things… So it will be inevitable to play in Saudi in the future, I heard they will host a new tournament (Masters 1000) in the future,” Ruud said.
Casper Ruud: “I didn’t get an offer from the Six Kings Slam, but I have had offers in the past, and I have chosen not to go. It is obviously a controversial country in terms of many things, but there are other countries that are controversial as well that we go to and play in.…
— Talking Tennis (@TalkingTennisTT) October 17, 2024
The Oslo native is not often in the headlines for the wrong reasons. But on this occasion, social media users didn’t show any mercy when attacking him for being a “hypocrite.” Fans implied that Ruud would participate in tournaments located in other “controversial” locations, but he conveniently spoke against Saudi Arabia.
Love Casper, but pls spare us the selective “morality.” You happily attend US Open, Wimbledon, Roland Garros, Italian ATP finals & every G7 country that hosts official tennis events. Those countries arm & fund Israel’s ongoing occupation & genocide in Palestine & other countries.
— marni.x (@marni__4x) October 17, 2024
Hypocrite
— REDA (@Bouchefaareda02) October 17, 2024
And USA and Europe aren’t controversial countries?
— Omnni (@omnii88) October 17, 2024
As Ruud mentioned, a Saudi Arabia-based Masters 1000 will inevitably be added to the tennis calendar one day. Considering that he usually reaches the quarterfinals of these tournaments, he would not forfeit approximately $185,000 in prize money due to his strong stance against the country’s ethical standards.
