"I will miss them and at times feel homesick" - Casper Ruud discloses struggles from being away from family and baby for first time

Casper Ruud is set to play his first match of tennis since becoming a father for the first time, as he is ready to come up against Marcos Giron in the last-16 of the Delray Beach Open. He will be looking to etch his name onto the trophy at the end of it as he looks ahead to the future.

He has started the year in the best way possible family wise, welcoming his daughter into the world. He began the year like most tennis players, competing in Australia. He teamed up with his fellow Norwegians as he represented his country in the United Cup, failing to make it out of the group phase. He then played every Australian open match like it was his last with the birth of his child taking priority.

The final match was not his choice in the end, losing to Ben Shelton in four sets at the last-16 stage. He has since pulled out of the Dallas Open with his baby the priority. It was a very special moment for him, as he told the media in Florida about how he is feeling.

“It was an incredibly emotional moment,” Ruud commented. “I think for anyone who has become a parent, it’s an incredible feeling and hard to explain with words."

This is an exciting time for Ruud who is looking ahead to what comes next. “I’m excited for the future. This is just the beginning of 20 to 25 years of taking care of her. It’s fun and exciting, I will try to use it as motivation and try to remember that you’ve travelled this far and being away from her, you might as well try your best and play some good tennis while you’re at it.”

Despite all the travelling he has previously done all around the world, this is one of the hardest for the three-time Grand Slam finalist who leaves his kid for the first time. He has his attention fully focused on a hugely important part of the season where he looks to continue his fine momentum.

“It will be a tough trip, because it won’t be that easy for them to come over here and I will miss them and at times feel homesick,” Ruud said. “I’ll do my best and see if I can end the hard-court swing, for a while, on a good note before we head back to Europe and start the clay season."

The clay swing will swiftly follow these next tournaments. An ATP 500 tournament in Acapulco will be Ruud's next destination before the brace of Masters 1000 tournaments consisting of the Indian Wells Open and Miami Open to follow. “That will be the goal for these couple of weeks and months coming up, [starting] here, then Acapulco, Indian Wells and Miami: To win some matches and see if I can play for more than myself.”

Ruud is confident that he has not lost any of his ability since stepping away from the court. “My forehand still feels pretty similar to before, and my backhand as well,” Ruud joked. “I haven’t got an overuse of my arm yet. I haven’t carried her too much yet!”

He is the number two seed in tournament. If he can get past Giron, another American will be in his way of a spot in the semi-finals with wither Alex Michelseon or Sebastian Korda possibly his next challenge. The likes of Taylor Fritz, Flavio Cobolli and Learner Tien will be fierce competition for Ruud to deal with.