Ruud on His Mental Health: "I Felt Like a Hamster in a Wheel"

Casper Ruud advanced to the semifinals of the Madrid Masters 1000 after defeating Daniil Medvedev.

In the post-match press conference, he admitted to struggling with mental health issues: "I don’t want to go too deep into it, but the truth is, I’ve faced mental health challenges this year.

So, I sought professional help, and it made a big difference. I quickly noticed significant improvement—I think it’s great to have someone to talk to about my feelings.

Life in tennis isn’t easy, and I reached a point where I felt overwhelmed. Thankfully, I feel good about myself again, waking up with enthusiasm and a smile, and above all, I’m grateful I was honest with myself and realized I needed help.

I felt like a hamster in a wheel, constantly moving forward. The current schedule doesn’t allow for breaks; I needed to step out of that cycle and reflect on my life, my emotions, and the path I was on.

Now I’m back in the hamster wheel that the tour puts us in, but with a much better mindset. Tennis is far more complex than just hitting the ball well."