Casper Ruud has claimed that players are being “forced to show up injured or sick” after suffering a shock defeat at the French Open. The two-time runner-up was sent packing in the second round on Wednesday – his earliest exit here since he made his debut in 2018.
Ruud received treatment from the physio and later revealed that he had been carrying a knee injury throughout the clay season, including at the Madrid Open, where he won his biggest career title. And the world No. 8 has suggested that players can’t take a break if they are struggling physically because they will be penalised.
There hadn’t been any real signs that Ruud struggled throughout the clay swing and it was assumed that he may have picked up a recent injury when the physio started working around his upper left calf during a medical time-out on Wednesday.
But after the match, the 26-year-old confessed that it was a lingering problem. “For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been kind of struggling a little bit with knee pain on and off. That’s why I decided to pull out of Geneva after Rome, do my best, and heal to be ready here,” Ruud said.
“I had a scan during Madrid actually, in the beginning of the tournament. I felt it the first time in Monte-Carlo. So it’s been with me actually the whole clay season on and off.
“Depending a little bit on how kind of physically tough some matches are, the day after it will either be a bit more sore or not.
“The scan didn’t show any structural damage, which is a good thing. There’s liquid of inflammation in there that needs to settle.
As we know, it’s a hectic clay season, and I decided to kind of push through it doing some anti-inflammatory pills and painkillers to try to get rid of it, which has helped to a certain degree but not enough. I will have some more time now to let it heal and rest for a long time.”
Ruud is now looking forward to having a real break to rest and recover after taking five days off last week, which didn’t seem to help, and will do scans before deciding his next move.
But the world No. 8 admitted he’d already fallen victim to the trap of playing while injured, explaining that he didn’t want to face any of the ATP’s financial or ranking point penalties for missing mandatory events.
He continued: “Well, it’s kind of like a rat race when it comes to the rankings, as well. You feel you’re obligated to play with certain rules that the ATP have set up with the mandatory events. You feel like you lose a lot if you don’t show up and play, both economically, point-wise, ranking-wise and opportunity-wise.
“For me, I know these weeks and months are really important for the remaining of the year and for my career. Of course, if my leg is broken, I won’t play.
“But it’s tough anyways, especially when there’s a time with mandatory events to skip them because the punishments are quite hard, in terms of everyone else will play, gain points, and you won’t. Also there’s a certain bonus system set up that is reduced if you don’t show up to the mandatory events.
It’s a questionable system because on one hand you don’t want to show up injured, and you maybe give the spot to other one. I’m not sure if you’re aware, but if you don’t play a mandatory event, they cut 25 per cent of your year-end bonus.
“You’re kind of forcing players to show up injured or sick, or whatever, when that is not what I think is very fair.”
Ruud, who notoriously isn’t a big fan of the grass season, has not entered a tournament until the ATP 250 in Mallorca at the end of June. He’ll be in a race against time to recover before Wimbledon but he could choose to skip the grass altogether.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk