"That has made him more mature over time": Casper Ruud has benefited from watching Rafael Nadal compete says coach Pedro Clar

Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal has inspired several of the next generation of tennis stars. The former World No.1 is also a source of motivation for current ATP stars, including Casper Ruud, according to Pedro Clar, long-term coach of the Norwegian.

Ruud has been a staple in the top 10 on the ATP for close to four years. The Oslo native turned pro in 2015, and decided to take his game to the next level when he joined Nadal's tennis academy in Mallorca three years later. Ruud would train at the Spaniard's academy before his breakthrough in 2021, and has since openly admitted his time there attributed to his success.

In an interview with Punto de Break, Clar suggested Ruud always looked up to the Spaniard. Additionally, it was Nadal's personality traits that helped Ruud mature into a mentally tougher tennis player.

"Being Nordic, it comes a little from within him [referring to Casper Ruud], but he has always said it: he has grown up watching Rafa compete, he has seen his values and everything he transmits, that has made him mature over time," said Clar. "Surely we would find many aspects of Rafa that Casper has been assimilating, this helps him have that emotional stability when competing."