Why Ruud has been 'studying' the likes of Sinner & Fonseca
Casper Ruud knows all too well that past success counts for little in a men’s game being rewritten in real time by fearless shotmakers.
The Norwegian has climbed as high as No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings and reached three major finals, but in the past two years, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have combined to win all eight Grand Slam titles. Meanwhile, a new wave — spearheaded by 19-year-old Joao Fonseca and 20-year-old Jakub Mensik — has continued to surge. Watching the evolution closely has given Ruud time to reflect on his own path.
“Seeing how the game has changed has made me realise that maybe I need to change my game a little,” Ruud said in a pre-tournament press conference in Auckland on Monday. “Trying to look for improvements, I have been studying a lot of the younger guys over the last weeks and months how my game needs to develop to handle their type of tennis.”
Ruud has built his career on heavy topspin, physical consistency and point construction, particularly from the forehand wing on clay. Yet against the game’s new elite, time is often taken away before those patterns can fully develop.
That challenge has been reflected in his Lexus ATP Head2Head record against Alcaraz and Sinner. The 27-year-old owns just one win from six meetings with Alcaraz — at the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals — and he is still searching for his first victory against Sinner after four defeats. The margins, Ruud believes, are defined by firepower on both sides of the ball, not just one.
“The generation consists of Sinner as the oldest one, then you can go down to Fonseca, who is the youngest one. In that age group, between five and six years, they really rip the ball and play a different style of tennis,” explained 14-time ATP Tour champion Ruud. “That’s something I’ve needed to get used to.
“They don’t just have one big shot, they typically have two: both the forehand and backhand are great. If you look at Mensik, I lost against him last week at the United Cup. He has a great serve and hits the backhand hard from both sides. You see it more and more.”
[NO 1 CLUB]Ruud earned his first win of the 2026 season against home favourite Alex de Minaur at the United Cup in Sydney before falling to Mensik in a tight two-set match. The Norwegian now arrives at the ASB Classic in Auckland as the second seed, intent on applying those lessons immediately.
In a draw in which he could face Mensik again in the semi-finals, Ruud’s study sessions may soon turn into reality, and it could reveal just how his evolving game can match up in a new ATP Tour era.
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