Casper Ruud has built his career on composure. But at the Delray Beach Open, that trademark calm cracked – if only for a moment. Preparing for his return to competition following a fourth-round exit at the Australian Open, the Norwegian No. 2 seed let his frustration show during a practice session ahead of his clash with Marcos Giron.

After pushing a routine forehand long, Ruud reacted sharply, a rare flash of visible irritation from one of the tour’s most even-tempered competitors. He threw his racket toward the side hoarding before picking it up moments later.

Ruud is widely known as one of the nicest players on tour. He has rarely shown anger on the court.

The timing also felt unexpected. The Norwegian had recently experienced a joyful personal milestone. He had just welcomed his first child.

Because of that, he chose to adjust his schedule. Ruud skipped the 2026 Nexo Dallas Open. The ATP 500 event would have required him to defend 330 runner-up points from last year.

However, the ATP’s Parental Status exemption protected his ranking points. This allowed him to take time away without penalty. The rule supports players during major life events.

Despite the reaction in practice, fans may not be entirely surprised. A similar moment had surfaced before. But that incident also occurred outside official match play.

Last year at the US Open, a practice clip went viral. During a hitting session with his team, a missed shot led to frustration. He reacted by throwing his racket toward the hoarding.

Such moments remain rare for Ruud. The reactions seem out of character for a player known for composure. Interestingly, he has previously spoken against reckless on-court behavior.

Casper Ruud urges a crackdown on rising unsporting conduct

Tennis in 2022 saw several controversial moments involving racket abuse and unsporting behavior from top players.

At the AO, former US Open champion and then world number two Daniil Medvedev launched an angry tirade at the chair umpire during a tense match.

Soon after, Alexander Zverev was expelled from the Mexican Open. He struck the chair umpire’s stand four times with his racket.

The German was fined, lost all points and prize money from the event, and received an eight-week suspended ban from the ATP.

During the ‘Sunshine Double’, more incidents followed. Nick Kyrgios and Jenson Brooksby threw their rackets in anger, almost hitting ball boys.

Reacting to the trend, Casper Ruud shared his concerns. In an interview with Mats Wilander and Barbara Schett, he said, “I think it needs to stop. This has been two [or] three cases now in within a month. So it’s reckless behaviour in a way.”

Even earlier, in 2021, Ruud had spoken about Rafael Nadal’s influence on him. He admired the Spaniard’s discipline and calm attitude on court.

Explaining his personal goal, Ruud said, “I told myself that I would try never to break a racket,” he said. “And there is only one top-10 who doesn’t: Rafa.”

So his recent practice-season incident after a long break felt surprising. Still, he is human, and such moments can happen to anyone.

Ruud will now take on a local American for a place in the quarterfinals of the Delray Beach Open. After the arrival of his first daughter, can the Norwegian ride the emotional boost to win the ATP 250 title?