Casper Ruud has been in incredible form lately. Since the end of February, the Norwegian has made it to the finals of the Los Cabos Open 2024 as well as the Acapulco Open 2024 and has already found his way to the quarter-final stage of the Indian Wells 2024. Becoming leaner and shedding 4 kilos of his body weight has been the reason behind the success, according to the World No. 9.
As reported by Tennis.com, Ruud weighed as much as 84 kilograms almost a year ago. By lifting weights to add on more muscle mass, the 6ft star witnessed a dip in his speed. By getting rid of only 5% of his total body weight, the 25-year-old thinks that being light on his feet has significantly helped him improve his performance.
“Last year in February I was around 84 kilos and this year I’m 80, so it’s 4 kilos less,” Ruud said. “Maybe doesn’t sound too much, but it’s 5% of my weight, which is something.”
“After Australia last year, I took four weeks off from tournaments to do a little bit of a pre-season,” Ruud said. “We focused a lot on lifting weights and building mass. And, you know, I was a little too stiff in my movements, too heavy. Not going to say I was bulking, but I was a little bit bigger than what I am now, and that led to me maybe not being as light on my feet, quick in the reactions and so on… That kind of bothered me a bit. I wasn’t quick enough.”
Casper is not following any strict diet, per se. However, to remain at his peak physical form, the former World No.2 is trying to eat as healthy as he can. Hence, he has cut down on his consumption of carbohydrates and sweets.
“I haven’t been on a specific this or that many-calories-only diet. I had it in the back of my mind, not something that was kind of time pressure that I need to be this certain weight within this time,” Ruud added.
As seen over the past few weeks, Ruud is looking much more agile on the tennis court. His increased pace has also allowed him to cover ground easily, winning points that he’d generally not even run towards to attempt.
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Casper Ruud prepares to face Tommy Paul for a spot in the semifinals at Indian Wells 2024
Casper Ruud has had an incredible performance at the BNP Paribas Open 2024. Living up to the expectations set for him, the right-handed player defeated Lukas Klein, Arthur Fils, and Gael Monfils to reach the quarterfinals.
While Ruud has been fantastic over his first three matches, his quarterfinal bout against Tommy Paul will be difficult. Other than the fact that Paul will be the first seeded player that Casper Ruud will go up against in the tournament, he can also expect the American crowd to be in favor of his opponent.
However, being in the sublime form that he is in, one can expect the European to emerge victorious and make his way to the final four stage of the ATP 1000 tournament.
