Casper Ruud gets back on the hamster wheel after seeking help for mental health

Like any world-class athlete, the competitor inside Casper Ruud is constantly looking for more. There’s a special kind of mindset required to stay elite, one that pushes boundaries, makes hard sacrifices and asks questions that ultimately lead back to, ‘How can I get better?’

For Ruud, he identified 2025 as the time to challenge himself in new ways on the court. During a phone interview just before Indian Wells, the former world No. 2 shared why.

“This point in my career, I'm very happy with where I am. I'm privileged, but it's a bit scary to get to that point and feel like you're too comfortable in the situation you're living,” he said. “You still have to push, you still have to try to be better, and you still have to go for more because the others behind you are definitely doing that.”

Expanding further, Ruud explained, “I think that's a human mistake to find yourself in the comfort zone too often. So I try to bring that to my game and say that these are my good strengths, but I need to develop the areas where I'm not that comfortable yet, and to widen the circle of my level as a tennis player. If that circle keeps growing bigger in the areas where it isn't now, it's a good thing.”

At the time, Ruud had come off a “surprise” final showing at the Dallas Open before a stomach bug prevented him from any hope of taking his 2024 Acapulco runner-up effort one step further. He went 2-2 at Indian Wells and Miami ahead of a stretch of the calendar that has been his bread and butter the past several seasons: the European clay-court swing.

I think that's a human mistake to find yourself in the comfort zone too often. So I try to bring that to my game and say that these are my good strengths, but I need to develop the areas where I'm not that comfortable yet, and to widen the circle of my level as a tennis player. Casper Ruud

Twelve months after advancing to the Monte Carlo final and winning his first ATP 500 trophy in Barcelona, Ruud went 3-2 in his return to those tour stops. It’s human nature to go through periods where head and heart aren’t on the same page. While Casper the tennis player was eager to test his boundaries, Casper the person wasn’t in sync with that ambition.

“I've been kind of feeling not great mentally this year,” Ruud revealed to press on Thursday.

“It just came down to me feeling like I'm running in this hamster wheel and I'm never kind of getting anywhere, or you're just stuck in it and I needed to kind of jump out of it a little to review where I was going and how I was feeling.”

The 26-year-old came to terms that life on the road had taken its toll. Recognizing he needed help, Ruud noted he now has an outlet to discuss what’s going on.

“I've seeked help, which has really worked for me,” he said.

In having—and trusting—that resource, a more familiar-looking Casper has resurfaced at the Mutua Madrid Open.

Ruud has gone eight for eight in sets played en route to the semifinals. His past two victories over Taylor Fritz and Daniil Medvedev marked his first two Top 10 wins of the year, and should the No. 14 seed defeat Francisco Cerundolo on Friday, an immediate Top 10 return awaits Ruud next week.

🖥️📱 Click here for live coverage on TennisChannel.com (estimated start time 10 a.m., Friday, May 2)

“I'm happy to feel more joy and feel like I'm in a better place, I guess, and feel like I'm waking up every day with a smile on my face,” he said. “So I am happy that I was honest with myself and felt like I needed some help, and it's been paying off quite quickly.”

In learning about Ruud’s mental health admission, it perhaps adds greater context to the classy move in line with his character made Thursday. After reigning Madrid women’s champion Iga Swiatek fell to Coco Gauff, 6-1, 6-1, and thus extending her hunt for a first title since clinching a Roland Garros three-peat last June, the Norwegian expressed empathy and support for the Pole on his X account.

“Hey @iga_swiatek keep your head up. Like millions of other people, I love watching you play. Not your day today, but you inspire so many and you’ll be back stronger than ever!!” Ruud encouraged.

It just came down to me feeling like I'm running in this hamster wheel and I'm never kind of getting anywhere, or you're just stuck in it and I needed to kind of jump out of it a little to review where I was going and how I was feeling. Casper Ruud

When Ruud and I spoke a couple months ago about the concept of backing up results, he wasn’t focused on the burden of his 2024 clay-court output to come.

“You can't really think about points, points, points all the time. You have to enjoy each match and take it one at a time as well,” he commented.

For someone navigating an everlasting hamster wheel, that outlook hits differently today. As getting out of bed with a sense of purpose and a beaming disposition are the points on the board that decide how one can get better.