Casper Ruud Reaches a Milestone, and So Does His Coach!

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Casper Ruud Reaches a Milestone, and So Does His Coach!

By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday February 13, 2021

Casper Ruud continues to get a leg up on his father and coach, Christian. The Norwegian has surpassed his father, a former ATP pro, in many categories over the years, including becoming the highest-ranked player from Norway and the first Norwegian to win an ATP title.

On Saturday in Melbourne the current World No.28 stole another piece of his dad’s thunder. Ruud defeated Radu Albot 6-1, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 to become the first Norwegian to reach the round of 16 at a Slam since 1997.

The last player to do it? Ruud’s father and coach, Christian.

“He was happy,” the 22-year-old said. “He's my main coach, so it's also an achievement for him. Now he has done it himself and as a coach, so I think he's happy that I've been able to not beat his record yet, but at least do same as he did. That was kind of the last inch he kind of had on me when it comes to Norwegian records in tennis.

"I've kind of beaten him on everything else, the ranking and last year when I got my first title. He lost the finals a couple times, so now he was happy, and I'm not going to say we joked about it, but he kind of liked having that last inch on me and now he can't anymore, so it's a good feeling, obviously.”

Back in 1997, Christian reached the round of 16 at Melbourne and went five sets with Goran Ivanisevic before finally falling.

Ruud says he knows the story well.

“He was up 40-Love on Goran's serve at 3-all in the fifth to make quarters,” he said “So it's one of his best results but toughest losses of his career he's told me, so I've heard that story a couple times.”

Ruud hopes he’ll have better luck than his father if he gets into a five-setter with his round of 16 opponent, Russia’s Andrey Rublev.

“I hope that won't be the case for me on Monday,” he said. “I'll have a very tough opponent and it looks like it will be Rublev, so he's been one of the best players on tour the last seven eight months or nine months, so I'm up for a big test on Monday.”

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