Casper Ruud is making his presence felt at the Dallas Open. On Wednesday, the Norwegian beat Australia’s James Duckworth in the first round encounter with a score line of 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 to seal his next round spot. Despite trailing in the second set, the World No.5 came back strongly to eliminate the Aussie. Following his R32 victory, Ruud decided to take shots at American football, although in a hilarious manner, while attracting many eyeballs. Not to mention it’s left a former American ATP pro completely speechless! But what did Ruud say about the sport?
After registering his first round win, Ruud engaged in an on-court interview with host Blair Henley. During the conversation, the 2024 ATP Finals semifinalist shared a playful take on American football. No, he didn’t have anything to say about the sport, but it’s name. Especially the shape of the ball used in it. He simply said, “We have a foot ball. You guys have a foot…egg.”
For the unversed, the American football is actually played with an oval ball. It basically contradicts its name. Why so? Simply because it’s played with hands, not foot. For the latter, the term used in the US is ‘soccer’ to distinguish it from American football, aka, NFL. But Ruud’s funny jab doesn’t seem to miss any logical point here. Probably that’s the reason why even former American ATP player John Isner was left stunned with his take. It appears he didn’t have an explanation to counter Ruud. “Not sure I have a comeback for this,” Isner wrote on X while reacting to the Norwegian.
Not sure I have a comeback for this https://t.co/R7HI5okjqN
— John Isner (@JohnIsner) February 6, 2025
While he may have taken a hilarious shot at the American football, Ruud is actually a huge fan of the country’s popular NFL. In fact, he’s already planning to watch the much awaited Super Bowl!
Casper Ruud reveals his NFL passion ahead of the 2025 Super Bowl
For the unversed, the ongoing ATP Dallas Open is taking place at the Ford Center at The Star. But what’s special about it? Well, it happens to be in Frisco. It’s where the headquarters for NFL team Dallas Cowboys are located. Interesting coincidence, isn’t it?
Now speaking of Casper Ruud’s craze for the NFL, he tries to keep up with the league despite his busy schedule. In the post-match interview on Wednesday, the World No.5 revealed, “I watch when I can. It always kicks off when we’re at the US Open. Those times after we are typically in Europe or Asia, so they’re not that easy to follow,” reported Tennis.com on February 5.
Moreover, he even spilled the beans on his favorite NFL team. For him, it’s “the Buccaneers.” Explaining the reason behind picking Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he added, “My grandparents, they had a house in Tampa, and we went there almost every Christmas. I’d love to go to one of the games. It just rarely fits with our schedule, so I hope in the future I can go and watch more.” But that’s not it.
The Norwegian is even preparing to watch the upcoming Super Bowl contest between Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. “I will definitely watch the Super Bowl next weekend,” he said.
Circling back to tennis, Ruud will now face Michael Mmoh at the Dallas Open in R16 on Friday. The American beat Spain’s Roberto Carballes in his first round on Thursday. When it comes to h2h record, the upcoming match will be just the second between Ruud and Mmoh. Their only meeting took place way back in 2016 at the U.S.A F10 during a qualifying event. Mmoh won that battle eventually with a score line of 6-4, 6-7, 6-1. Technically, Friday’s match will mark their first professional face-off. What’s your prediction about this contest?
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