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Casper Ruud of Norway waves after defeating Mattia Bellucci of Italy in their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Norway’s Casper Ruud has said that he would be ready to leave the ongoing 2026 Australian Open to be by the side of his pregnant wife, Maria, if the need arose. The 12th seed said that he was thankful to his wife for letting him travel and compete in the first slam of the year, adding that the ringer was switched on all the time to remain alert regarding any news from back home.
“I have to thank Maria for letting me go in the first place. I know she’s at home resting, getting ready. Except for when I’m playing a match, the ringer is on all hours of the day just in case,” Ruud said.
“There’s more to life than just tennis, but I’m going to be here for as long as I can and as long as Maria lets me,” he added.
Ruud had defeated Mattia Bellucci of Italy 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 in the opening round on Monday and will take on Jaume Munar of Spain on Wednesday.
Prior to the start of the tournament, Ruud had said that he and his wife were really excited to enter a new chapter in his life, admitting that he looked forward to becoming a good parent.
“It’s really exciting. It’s something we’ve been looking forward to now for half a year, so time is running and it’s going to be a new chapter for us. [It will be] a new way of life on Tour and I very much look forward to it, knowing how close I’ve been with my own family and my father and also my mother.”
“I look forward to hopefully becoming a good parent myself. Even though this life requires a lot of time, a lot of energy and a lot of travel and these things, I look forward to trying to be there as much as I can and when I have downtime — time off from the court — I will spend it where I want to go with my future daughter,” the Norwegian had told ATPTour.com.
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