Big things are happening for Casper Ruud. The Norwegian heads into the Australian Open as the 11th seed, and it’s far from an easy battle. Melbourne has always been a tricky stage for him. His best result came in 2021, reaching the round of 16 before falling to Andrey Rublev. Last year wasn’t much better, as he bowed out early to rising Czech star Jakub Mensik in round two. So while he’s dreaming big again this year, the road ahead looks anything but smooth.

Speaking at the ASB Classic pre-tournament press conference on January 11, Ruud revealed he’s got more than tennis on his mind. He and his fiancée, Maria Galligani, are expecting their first child any day now. This trip down under is filled with nerves, joy, and a whole lot of excitement.

“One of the biggest moments will be welcoming our child back home,” Casper Ruud shared. “Honestly, she can come anytime now. So hopefully I get to stay for the rest of the tournament, but you never know. I might get a call and be on the plane back home, out of here. But it’s no short trip back home, so hopefully she stays in for a few extra weeks, and I can be there for the birth. Later in the year, we’ll have our wedding and celebrate our marriage.”

Ruud and Galligani’s love story has been quietly unfolding since 2018. They got engaged in November 2024 and plan to tie the knot later in 2026. The timing couldn’t be better for Casper Ruud, who’s balancing life-changing moments with the grind of a new tennis season.

Despite the imminent arrival of his daughter, Ruud remains fully committed to his 2026 schedule. He opened his year at the United Cup before flying to New Zealand for the ASB Classic. Now, he’s hoping to finally turn his luck around in Auckland, where he’s yet to win a match after three previous tries.

As the second seed, Ruud gets a first-round bye but meets a real test straight away against Fabian Marozsan in R16. With part of his mind still back home, the challenge will be staying locked in on court. Whether he makes it back to Melbourne for the Happy Slam remains to be seen. For now, he’s training, watching, and preparing to take on the best.

Casper Ruud shared his strategy ahead of the Australian Open

Ruud has been at the top of men’s tennis before. Back in 2022, he climbed as high as World No. 2 and reached three Grand Slam finals, twice at Roland Garros (2022 and 2023) and once at the US Open (2022). He knows what it takes to battle for the biggest prizes, but the tour around him looks very different today.

In the last two years, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have completely ruled the Grand Slam stage, splitting all eight majors between them. And now, a fearless new wave has arrived, led by 19-year-old Joao Fonseca and 20-year-old Jakub Mensik. As the game keeps evolving, Casper has been watching closely and taking notes.

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“Seeing how the game has changed has made me realise that maybe I need to change my game a little,” Casper Ruud said in a pre-tournament press conference in Auckland on Monday. “Trying to look for improvements, I have been studying a lot of the younger guys over the last weeks and months how my game needs to develop to handle their type of tennis.”

For years, Casper Ruud built success through heavy topspin, endurance, and patient point construction, especially on clay with that signature forehand. But against today’s power-packed younger stars, he’s learning that time is the biggest enemy. That challenge is clear in his head-to-head record. He holds just one win in six matches against Alcaraz, a big one at the 2024 ATP Finals, and he’s still chasing his first victory over Sinner after four losses. To Ruud, the difference comes down to one thing: pure, balanced aggression.

“The generation consists of Sinner as the oldest one, then you can go down to Fonseca, who is the youngest one. In that age group, between five and six years, they really rip the ball and play a different style of tennis,” explained Ruud. “That’s something I’ve needed to get used to.”

Now, with the Australian Open right around the corner, the stakes are climbing again. But first comes Auckland, where he’ll look to build momentum. Ruud has played here three times before and never gone past the round of 32 back in 2018. Maybe this is the year he flips that script. The question is: Can he bring the heat before heading to Melbourne?