Tennis News: Who is Casper Rudd? Rafael Nadal's Norwegian student aiming to take over his throne

Casper Rudd is the first man from Norway to win an ATP singles trophy, advance to a Grand Slam final, reach a Masters 100 final and break into the Top-10 on the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. He back the first man in a decade to win three titles in three weeks last year.

He advanced to the final at the 2022 Roland Garros but lost the championship match to Rafael Nadal in straight sets. The 23-year-old Norwegian is a former Rafa Nadal Academy trainee. It made the clash even more monumental.

Specialisation on clay

Casper Rudd is a specialist on clay courts, having won all his titles except one on clay. Last year, he won his maiden hard court title at the San Diego Open. The Playstyle of Casper Rudd is optimised for clay courts, allowing him to use his excellent footspeed, depth of groundstrokes and court coverage to control the game from the baseline. 

The trademark sledgehammer forehand of Casper Rudd allows him to dominate his opponent by spinning and bouncing the ball very high. The versatility and adaptability of Rudd are what help him perform better than other clay court specialists with ease.

Master VS Student

Despite failing to beat Rafael Nadal in their only meeting, Caper Rudd still aims to dethrone the legendary Spaniard as the King of clay.

Other top youngsters such as Dominic Thiem, Stefanos Tsitsipas, or Carlos Alcaraz Garfia are also taking on Rafael Nadal, who has dominated on clay for over a decade.

However, Casper Rudd has trained under Rafael Nadal and Toni Nadal at his academy in Mallorca, allowing him to hone his skills under his idol. He has played multiple practice matches against Nadal but admitted that he has never won.

Before the championship match of Roland Garros, Casper Rudd said, "He has played many Grand Slam finals but at least he is playing a student from his academy this time, so it is hopefully going to be a fun one."

Training under Rafael Nadal and his uncle Toni Nadal has influenced the plate style of Casper Rudd, making his forehand strikes a dangerous weapon.

Seeded sixth, Casper Rudd is one of the top contenders for the title at the US Open set to take place in New York from August 29 to September 11.