"They are human and some days they are beatable": Casper Ruud confident of lifting Grand Slam title despite dominance of Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner

Norway’s Casper Ruud has opened up about the chances of winning a Grand Slam in the presence of players like Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Italy’s Jannik Sinner. Both players have proved themselves to be a class apart over the last 24 months as they have shared the last eight Grand Slam titles.

As things stand, Alcaraz is number one in the world with 11,340 rating points, followed by Sinner in the second spot with 10,000 rating points. No other player on the circuit has even 6,000 points, which shows that they are reaching the levels not many thought they would, and that too so early in their respective careers.

Norway’s Ruud has seen a late resurgence in his 2025 season as he recently won the Nordic Open in Stockholm after beating France’s Ugo Humbert in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-3. It was Ruud’s second title in 2025. Previously, he lifted the Madrid Open as well where he defeated Britain’s Jack Draper in the final with a score of 7-5, 3-6, 6-4.

After winning the contest, Ruud was asked about how does he sees his chances of winning a Grand Slam in the future, especially in the presence of players like Alcaraz and Sinner. In response to that, Ruud stated that he believes he can challenge the best but only if he is playing at the peak of his game. Ruud also highlighted that Alcaraz and Sinner have managed to separate themselves from the rest of the players on the tour which shows that they are a class above the rest.

“I mean it’s a different scenario playing best of five sets and we don’t have a Slam indoors,” said Ruud. “But if I can play this aggressive and with this much conviction in my game on a hard court, I think that I can challenge the best players in the world and that is what you want to do. Of course, we have two guys up front who are at times almost unplayable and unbeatable but at the same time they are also human and there are 30, 40 or 50 players behind them who every time they step on a court want to beat them. Sometimes some of them do and you would like to think that maybe anything can happen when you play them. But they have separated themselves and they have proven to everyone that they are in a bit of a league of their own but it doesn’t stop me, at least, from believing that they are also human and some days they are beatable.”

Ruud is one of the most high-profile players to have raised concerns about the hectic tennis schedule and how it has impacted the players fitness on the tour. Ruud spoke about the same issue after lifting the title in Stockholm. Ruud stated that having a longer break helped him in producing the goods towards the later stages of the season.

“In my case this year I had a longer break in the summer which has led to me maybe having a little extra energy at this time of the year,” said Ruud. “I think when you look at Carlos’s year this year it is pretty unique. He has played many matches and it still seems like he has joy and continues to go. Of course, there are two tournaments left for him. But other than him there is not that many that get to play 60, 70 or 80 matches."

He continued by saying: "I think when you get to that level, when you are looking at 50, 60, 70+ matches a year, it gets quite demanding at the end. But except for him and maybe Sinner, who does well every single week, we all have our hiccups and losses where we get to go home. But it really helped for me this year to have a longer break in the summer and grow the hunger for the remainder of the year. I was not able to peak or play great as soon as I came back but now I feel like I have more motivation and inspiration in my game towards the end of the season.”