Early Exit From Practice Fuels Concern
Casper Ruud's status for the US Open singles draw is in serious question after video surfaced of the Norwegian looking uncomfortable during a hitting session with Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry at Flushing Meadows. According to prominent tennis observer Oleg S. on social media, Ruud cut the session roughly 70 minutes short, stopping after just 50 minutes of a planned two-hour workout. The account described him as unable to serve properly, with even basic groundstrokes appearing to cause him considerable pain.
The back problem is not new. At the final Masters 1000 event ahead of the US Open in Cincinnati, Ruud called for a medical timeout mid-match against Christopher O'Connell before eventually retiring while leading the second set. He had also suffered an early loss in Canada before that, making his pre-Grand Slam preparation far from ideal.
Mixed Signals Before the Main Draw
There were brief reasons for optimism. Ruud partnered Diana Shnaider in the mixed doubles earlier this week, and the pair actually advanced to the quarter-finals before falling to Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev. He also posted upbeat content on Instagram as recently as Wednesday, expressing excitement for the singles competition ahead.
But the practice footage told a different story. Ruud's 2026 season has already been a struggle compared to his peak years, with his win percentage slipping to 61 percent this year from 71 percent in 2025. With 20 players already withdrawing from the tournament through injury, the Norwegian's name could yet be added to that list.
TennisDraw users tracking the bottom half of the draw will want to monitor Ruud's fitness updates closely before locking in their bracket picks.
