Ruud angrily sprayed the ATP after his upset exit at the French Open: forcing injured players to play

After being knocked out in the second round of the French Open, Ruud was unabashedly and publicly critical of the ATP's mandatory entry system.

On Wednesday, the Norwegian player takes on Portugal's Jorge Borges at the Susan Lenglen Stadium. As a two-time French Open runner-up, Ruud won the first set comfortably 6-2, and it seemed that the match was going well. However, the knee injury he had suffered when he entered Paris was followed by Borges coming back to win three sets in a row to knock out world No.8 Ruud 6-4 6-1 6-0.

In his post-match press conference, Ruud expressed his displeasure with the ATP's mandatory rules: "It's like a rat race in the ranking competition. You feel like you're forced to play in those mandatory ATP events. If you don't participate, you'll lose a lot in terms of economy, points, rankings, and opportunities. I know these weeks and these months are important for the rest of my season and for my career. Of course, if I had broken my leg, I wouldn't have played. ”

The 26-year-old went on to admit that players are caught in a dilemma when they are slightly injured or sick while preparing for a mandatory match, especially due to the serious consequences of being absent. He added: "But it's still hard, especially when it comes to mandatory participation, where if you skip an event, you're punished severely, and everyone else goes on as usual and gets points, while you don't. And there is also a bonus system, and if you don't participate, the year-end bonus will be cut. This system is very debatable, on the one hand, you don't want to go into battle with an injury, maybe you can give up the opportunity to someone else. ”

The 13-time ATP Tour champion also revealed that even if a mandatory event is missed due to injury or illness, a player's year-end bonus will still be slashed significantly, "Maybe you don't know that if you don't play in a mandatory event, your year-end bonus will be cut by 25%. It's basically forcing players to come out with injuries or illnesses, and I think that's very unfair. ”

For men on the ATP Tour, mandatory tournaments consist of eight of the four Grand Slams and nine Masters tournaments (with the Monte Carlo Masters being the only exception), with Ruud winning one of the mandatory Masters titles ahead of this year's French Open.

In an interview, Ruud also shared how he controls his expenses during the competition. After the opening round of the French Open, Ruud recalled the challenges he experienced last year in Paris. He was out of the semi-finals after losing to Zverev in the semi-finals, and unfortunately, he suffered a gastrointestinal ailment that lasted for two weeks.

Ruud explained that these diseases are actually very easy to catch, especially if you travel a lot and change your diet. He also pointed out that this kind of problem is difficult to avoid completely, as it is financially burdensome to have private accommodation and a private chef's lifestyle while on the tour.

"It's an investment I've considered, but it's actually hard to do because you need a place to stay with a kitchen and be guaranteed fresh food at all times. It's not easy at all. "It's more convenient for us to stay in a hotel – if we lose, check out at any time and go." If you rent a private apartment, you have to rent it for the entire period...... This is a big financial burden. I haven't found the necessity to do that. ”

He also revealed another tip to help him pick a suitable place to eat during the competition. His method is actually simple and effective: think back to the places you ate last year and didn't get sick, and then go to that restaurant. "You're always wondering, where did I go to eat last year and not get sick? Then I'll go there again this year. Ruud said.(Source: Tennis Home Author: Spark)