"I saw him sniffing, always with a tissue": Casper Ruud saw Carlos Alcaraz wasn't well in ATP Finals opener

Casper Ruud said that he saw Carlos Alcaraz sniffing and that he was always carrying a tissue during his ATP Finals opening success over the Spaniard.

It was a limp display from Alcaraz who was seen with a nasal strip prior to his 6-1, 7-5 defeat in Turin which puts Alcaraz on the back front ahead of ties against Zverev and Ruud.

“I had good times in Turin before. It feels amazing to be back here. Italian fans are always amazing. They always do a great job," said Ruud.

Read also

ATP Finals: Carlos Alcaraz loses in poor opening defeat to Casper Ruud in Turin

“I feel very welcome and very good here. The last part of the season wasn’t very good for me. But I try to think I saved some wins for this week."

He also spoke about Alcaraz and said that he knew that he was suffering. He was sighted with nasal strips prior to the tournament starting while practicing.

“I kind of knew he was maybe dealing with a bit of a cold. I saw him sniffling around in the area here, always with a tissue for his nose. That’s a sign that maybe physically he won’t be necessarily at 100%. Of course that’s sad and not good for him."

"But it’s also part of the game. I knew it coming in. I tried to make him play rallies and do my best. It’s not easy. When you know someone isn’t 100%, you get stressed. You think ‘Oh, this is a really big chance for me to win.’ I tried to stay in my world, the moment. Luckily I got a good start. Second set I was able to turn it around and play some good tennis at the end.”