Casper Ruud
PROS: Overshadowed by younger rising stars Sebastian Korda, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Felix Auger-aliassime, the 22-year-old Norwegian started the year under the radar with a solid but unspectacular No. 27 ranking and only one title on his resume. Ten months later, a much-improved Ruud amassed four more tour-level titles at 250 tournaments in Geneva, Bastad, Gstaad, Kitzbühel, and San Diego to shoot up to a career-high No. ■, becoming the first Norwegian to crack the top 10. His momentum accelerated at the ATP Finals. There, he fired 34 winners, including 14 aces, to overcome Andrey Rublev 2-6, 7-5, 7-6(5) in a high-quality elimination match to qualify for the semifinals.
Ruud’s chief weapon is a potent forehand with vicious topspin. His first serve, once a relative weakness, now regularly registers over 120 mph, while his confident second serve is consistently around 100 mph. He also boasts solid strokes in every department, and vital intangibles such as poise, concentration, and hyper-competitiveness.
CONS: At only 6' and 170 pounds, Ruud faces a big size disadvantage against the towering New Generation. He lacks the huge first serves of Zverev and Berrettini, the technical perfection of Djokovic and Korda, and the blazing speed of Auger-aliassime and Alcaraz. And until the ATP Finals, he had only a 3-11 career record against top-10 opponents, including 2-6 this year with all the losses in straight sets.