Norways’ Casper Ruud believes that an elite athlete must be very careful when using words that can cause controversy. A lot of athletes have been outspoken over the last few years, especially since the arrival of social media platforms like Twitter, which is now called, and Instagram.
One of the most famous athlete from the tennis world who is famous for being outstpoken in Australia’s Nick Kyrgios. Ruud, who has remained very careful when it comes to talking about different stuff, has recently spoken to We Are Tennis platform where he talked in detail about the responsibility of an elite-level athlete.
The three-time Grand Slam winner, who did not have a great 2024 season where he managed to win just one tournament and was recently knocked out from the second round of the ATP event in Metz, stated that in his opinion, elite-level athletes should use their voice only when they know what they are talking about. Ruud was also of the opinion that such sports personalities who are famous and are followed by fans in hundreds and thousands, must remain very cautious about what they are saying as if they end up saying something wrong, it can become a headline in no time.
"I think that as you have become either a sportsperson or a famous person and the world you live in today, you kind of have a voice if you want to use it, and for almost anything,” he said. “It can be for the good or the worse. You shouldn't use your voice for things you don't know too many things about, but you can because it's very easy.
"You can just go on the social media or an app or have an interview and I could say anything I would like, and it would be a headline. So you have to be a little careful sometimes in what you say, which is not something tough to get used to, but I realize that if you say something that is a little bit out of the ordinary or if I have an opinion on something outside of sport, it quickly becomes a headline. So I realize that I have a voice, but you should be a bit careful what you use it for."