Why Casper Ruud ‘studied’ Jannik Sinner & Joao Fonseca, among others | ATP tour | Tennis

Casper Ruud

Why Ruud ‘studied’ Sinner & Fonseca, among others

Former world number 2 explains how he is evolving his game to keep pace
January 13, 2026

Casper Ruud knows all too well that past success counts for little in a men’s game being rewritten in real time by fearless shot makers.

The Norwegian has risen to No. 2 in the PIF ATP rankings and reached three major finals, but in the last two years Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have won all eight Grand Slam titles together. Meanwhile, a new wave – led by 19-year-old Joao Fonseca and 20-year-old Jakub Mensik – has continued to rise. By keeping a close eye on evolution, Ruud has been given the time to think about his own path.

“When I saw how the game has changed, I realized that maybe I need to change my game a little bit,” Ruud said at a pre-tournament press conference in Auckland on Monday. “In an effort to look for improvements, I have spent the last few weeks and months studying many of the younger boys on how my game should develop to cope with their type of tennis.”

Ruud has built his career on heavy topspin, physical consistency and point construction, especially from the forehand wing on clay. But against the game’s new elite, time is often taken away before these patterns can fully develop.

That challenge is reflected in his Lexus ATP Head2Head record against Alcaraz and Sinner. The 27-year-old has just one win from six meetings with Alcaraz – at the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals – and he is still looking for his first victory against Sinner after four defeats. According to Ruud, the margins are determined by the firepower on both sides of the ball, and not just on one side.

“The generation consists of Sinner as the oldest, then you can go down to Fonseca, who is the youngest. In that age group, between five and six years old, they really play the ball and play a different style of tennis,” explains 14-time ATP Tour champion Ruud. “That’s something I had to get used to.

“They don’t just have one big chance, they usually have two: both the forehand and the backhand are great. If you look at Mensik, I lost to him in the United Cup last week. He has a great serve and hits the backhand hard from both sides. You see it more and more.”

Ruud recorded his first win of the 2026 season against home favorite Alex de Minaur at the United Cup in Sydney before falling to Mensik in a tight two-set match. The Norwegian now comes into the ASB Classic in Auckland as the second seed, with the intention of applying those lessons immediately.

In a draw that could see him meet Mensik again in the semi-finals, Ruud’s study sessions could soon become a reality, and it could reveal how his evolving game may measure up in a new ATP Tour era.