PARIS (Reuters) – Paris is a city that holds plenty of good memories for Casper Ruud and the Norwegian is hoping his form will peak at the right time to give him a shot at the medals in the Olympics.
Having twice reached the French Open final, the 25-year-old said he feels very comfortable at the Roland Garros venue and that his preparations for the Paris Games have been going well.
“Tennis is not a sport where you can typically choose when to hit your perfect form, but I feel that the days leading up to the Olympics now have been good,” he told reporters on Thursday.
“I have trained well at home, and the days here will also be important before it all starts on Saturday or Sunday.”
A former world number two who is currently ranked eighth, Ruud withdrew from the Austrian Open in Kitzbuhel to focus on his Olympic hopes.
“I feel I have played enough games this year, really – I didn’t want to go there and risk any injuries or be too tired when I got here” he explained.
Ruud is more used to spending his time solo on the tennis tour, but said he was delighted to arrive into a team situation at the Olympic village on Wednesday and to represent his country with other Norwegians.
“I got a nice reception yesterday from the other Norway members of the squad that are here … it’s nice to be around the other athletes that are here, it’s a nice experience,” he said.
“Tennis is a little different because there’s a lot of big tournaments but for others that are here the Olympics is the biggest thing there is and it’s good to see how those other athletes prepare.”
The men’s singles tournament starts on Saturday, with Ruud kicking off his quest for Olympic gold against Japan’s Taro Daniel.
(Reporting by Philip O’Connor; Editing by Ken Ferris)
