Casper Ruud has had an up-and-down 2026 season on the ATP Tour so far.
The Norwegian picked up just one win from his first two tournament appearances at the United Cup and ASB Classic before entering the Australian Open.
Ruud reached the fourth round at Melbourne Park, where he ultimately bowed out to Ben Shelton.
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Following a quarterfinal finish in Delray Beach and an early exit in Acapulco, he then advanced to the fourth round of Indian Wells.
There, Ruud fell to world number one Carlos Alcaraz, which he reflected on ahead of his run at the Miami Open.
Casper Ruud discusses playing against the big hitters on tour
In an interview with Tennis TV, Ruud said: “I think that I’ve been, you know, this year so far a little bit up and down. I’ve played quite well at the bigger events, which is obviously kind of what you want.
“A lot of things off court have happened in my life, of course, very nice and beautiful things. But yeah, there have been some hours extra spent on that compared to maybe what I usually would spend on the court. But that’s how it is.
“But this is also the last tournament before we head back home to Europe. And I hope my game can be well and to handle the big hitters.
“[Against them] I rely on moving well, getting a lot of extra balls back and try to dominate as much as I can with my forehand.
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“And in Indian Wells, I felt like I was doing pretty well in the first and second match and you know, partially in the second set with Carlos [Alcaraz] as well.
“But when you play him, you know that if you don’t, you know, pretty much paint the lines, he’ll be there and he’ll punish you back.
“So it was a bit of a tough match for me, but I hope I can continue to play some good tennis here in Miami before we head back home.”
Casper Ruud’s record against Carlos Alcaraz over the years
Ruud has managed to win just one match against Alcaraz in their seven career meetings, with the sole triumph coming in 2024.
At the ATP Finals that year, Ruud overcame the Spaniard in the round robin stage, winning in straight sets and snapping a four-match losing streak in the rivalry.
Since then, Alcaraz has beaten Ruud at the 2025 Japan Open as well as the 2026 Indian Wells Open.
Their biggest matchup was their third career meeting: the 2022 US Open final.
Alcaraz came out on top that day to claim his very first Grand Slam title, and has since gone on to win six more.
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