Ruud explains the reason for his poor form: "I've been playing on very fast courts over the last few months".

Casper Ruud, still in contention at the Masters, has had a very tricky end to the season.

A surprise winner over an ailing Carlos Alcaraz last Monday, the Norwegian arrived in Turin with a record of one win and six losses from his last seven matches.

After his defeat last night to Alexander Zverev, he tried to give a reason for his poor results: "At the US Open, I lost in the eighth round, which was a decent result. Since then, I haven't had the confidence and I haven't felt good physically.

I've been playing on very fast courts over the last few months, which is something I don't like as much as other players. I don't want to complain or make excuses. But it's been very difficult for me.

If you watch me play, you know that my forehand is my main weapon. But it's more effective on slow courts with a high bounce.

I don't have any other reasons, but it's also true that autumn has never been a good time for me."