Casper Ruud Credits Rafael Nadal for Inspiring Him to Become a Professional Tennis Player

World No. 3 Rafael Nadal has won an incredible number of accolades in tennis. The sheer dominance displayed by the Spaniard over all these years has been breathtaking. There are certain achievements made by Rafa that may never be matched; clearly, to win Roland Garros thirteen times is unthinkable.

Recently, Rafael Nadal was praised by Norwegian tennis player Casper Ruud. Not long ago the youngster trained at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca and called Rafa his idol growing up. He added that the Spaniard played a huge role in inspiring him to become a professional tennis player.

Casper Ruud in awe of Rafael Nadal’s humble attitude after all the success

The 22-year-old player said, “Rafa’s one of the greatest of all time… I’ve been a fan of him since I started watching tennis. He’s been my biggest idol and the one I’ve looked up to most out of all players. I remember he was the first one I watched on Tv… He’s one of the reasons I really wanted to make a professional career… To practice with him has been a big motivation… Even though how much he’s won, he’s extremely humble and works hard today as he did 15 years ago.”

Coming to the current season, Nadal competed at the Australian Open despite a back injury. His journey ended in the quarterfinal after he lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Greek player fought back after being two sets down.

On the other hand, Casper earned a career-best performance at a Grand Slam event by reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open 2021. His performance in Melbourne helped him earn a career-high ranking of number 24 in the world.

Also Read: “Can Get Really Dangerous”: Stefanos Tsitsipas Reveals Challenges of Playing John Isner Following Victory at ATP Acapulco 2021