Casper Ruud was bizarrely bed ridden before Wimbledon for 11 days battling parasite

Monday, 01 July 2024 at 18:22

Casper Ruud saw off Alex Bolt in his Wimbledon opener in straight sets in a match deemed as being on upset watch before the tournament began due to the Norwegian's poor grass court prowess and his dislike of the surface.

But he also had to battle illness after being infected by a parasite. This explained the poor display at the 2024 French Open in which the two-time finalist was off colour in losing to Alexander Zverev. He didn't shake hands with Zverev knowing he was ill but the issue got worse over the weeks that followed.

“Yeah, it was a little bit unusual,” Ruud explained. “I went home the day after and kept feeling quite bad for a full week and decided to take a few tests after a week of almost, like, lying in bed all the time. I had no appetite, and I was still bothered.

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“So I took some tests and found out that I had this kind of uncommon small parasite that I had been infected with through not sure where, but the most kind of normal place where you can get infected from it is through just unclean water.

“So either, like, if you are unlucky, you get a drop of shower water on your lips and through there or through -- most likely like vegetable, fruit, or salad being washed with unclean water. So it can take up to 12 days before it kicks in and you feel symptoms, so it's very difficult to know where I got it.

“Symptoms can last and bother you for about two weeks. I was mostly in bed for 11, 10, 11 days, which was not what I was kind of hoping for. Those days are my kind of days off after a busy stretch of five months in a row with a lot of tournaments.

"So I rested well, that's for sure, but it wasn't ideal. I've kind of regained my strength and (have) been practising in London since last Tuesday. I didn't do much between Paris and coming here. It took a while to get this thing away.

“Now, luckily, I feel better. Been feeling better every day and been practising pretty well and trying to feel back to 100 per cent, which I feel like I'm quite close to.”

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Ruud did see the funny side of it by quipping that he couldn't play golf as a result with the Norwegian being well known for playing the sport instead of practicing tennis before Wimbledon. But he said his tournament nearly was at risk.

“Well, this parasite is not a dangerous thing,” he added. “That's the good thing, good news. It's just a little bit uncommon. I mean, obviously I didn't get it in Norway, but it's not many cases of this in Norway. The doctors were a bit surprised honestly that this was the case.

“But this is something that the parasite is supposed to leave your body after three to four weeks, so it's not very dangerous. It just kind of bothers and creates some problems down there.

“Yeah, I did obviously kind of think, you know, if this keeps on going on for too long, Wimbledon might be at risk, but I got good follow-up and help from the doctors at home.”

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

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