Casper Ruud recently claimed his spot for this season’s ATP Finals after Novak Djokovic pulled his name back due to an unspecified injury. Ruud, all set to return to Turin, will be making a third appearance in the season finale. Although he’s cleared his way to the Finals, Casper’s name is also on the list of players participating in the ongoing Moselle Open. In fact, he’s supposed to play his first match today in Metz. But will he?

Ruud was last seen in Paris Masters where he was ousted in the second round. He couldn’t get past Australia’s Jordan Thompson who defeated him 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-4. This month, the Norwegian was supposed to take on France’s Benjamin Bonzi in the Moselle Open. However, it now seems that he won’t likely appear in Metz on November 6th. Just ahead of his encounter with Bonzi, the player was recently spotted in Oslo, in his home country, according to Norwegian newspapers.

Lately, Ruud has been going through a rough phase when it comes to his form. He’s not won many matches in the last few weeks. Hence, the player had plans to end the year on a high with a promising run at Metz this week. But after qualifying for the ATP Finals, he may look to take a break and prepare for Turin rather than entering the season finale by exhausting himself.

Such a move seems possible given that players like Andrey Rublev and Alex de Minaur also recently withdrew from Moselle and Belgrade. Both of them have also qualified for the ATP Finals. Casper Ruud is still in Metz draw but him not being at the Venue for today’s clash suggests that he may share an update on his withdrawal soon.

Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see how the Norwegian will kickstart his campaign in Turin. He will face the best of the opponents in the year-end event – which means it won’t be easy to take the cake.

Casper Ruud to face a tough competition at the ATP Finals

For those not aware, Casper’s best run at the ATP Finals came in 2022. It was the year when he succeeded in reaching the final after defeating Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-4 in straight sets. However, the World No.7 had to bow down against Novak Djokovic. The latter managed to have an upper hand over The Iceman and won the match comfortably with a score of 7-5, 6-3.

There’s no doubt that Casper will try to repeat his performance from two years ago. But the road to finale will present multiple challenges in front of him. With the likes of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz fighting it out for the crown, the Norwegian may find it hard to navigate the tournament. Then there’s also the challenge of overcoming Alexander Zverev. He’s coming after a title victory at the Paris Masters just a few days ago. The German won 6-2, 6-2 in straight sets against France’s Ugo Humbert on his home soil.

But with a round-robin format, there always remains a chance for a comeback. Hence, Casper Ruud would like to make the most of the opportunities in Turin this time. Do you think he will be able to repeat his golden run from 2022? Let us know in the comments below.