MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Much of the buzz around the Miami Open this year has centered on 18-year-old Spanish phenom Carlos Alcaraz, and he certainly will be the fan favorite against Casper Ruud in the men’s final at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Alcaraz, aiming to become the youngest champion in tournament’s 37-year history, has drawn big crowds for all his matches the past 10 days, the latest of which was a thrilling 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-2) win over defending champion Hubert Hurkacz in the semifinal Friday night.
But his final opponent, 23-year-old Ruud, is also making history. He is ranked No. 8 in the world, the highest ranking ever for a Norwegian, surpassing his father, Christian, who reached No. 39 in 1995.
Ruud has met Alcaraz only once, in Spain, and the Spanish teen won fairly easily, 6-2, 6-4. Ruud has had most of success on clay, but the Miami courts have been good to him, and he is determined to make it a tough day for Alcaraz.
“I didn’t expect if I ever made a Masters 1000 final it would be here in Miami, but I’ll take it,” Ruud said. “Obviously, I’m enjoying the conditions and how the court is playing. It’s very, very slow compared to other hard courts, so it suits my game quite well.”
Like everyone else in the tennis world, Ruud has been impressed with Alcazar’s ascent.
“We can all see how talented he is, he has a very good mind for tennis,” Ruud said. “He understands the game very well, knows when to hit certain shots and when not to. He is at his highest level, very, very good, but he also plays high risk, so he goes for the shots quite often. Hopefully, he will miss a couple of those.”
Alcaraz, meanwhile, is excited about his first Miami Open final.
“I have a lot of emotions right now,” said Alcaraz after his semifinal victory. “It’s something that you dream of when you are a child. It’s really good to be in the final here in Miami. I love playing here. The crowd is amazing. I’m going to approach the final like a first round, trying to mask the nerves. I’m going to enjoy it. It’s going to be a great final.”
When Ruud isn’t playing tennis, he is playing and watching golf. He is excited to watch the Masters on TV this week and his favorite channel is The Golf Channel.
He has played golf against Rafael Nadal in Mallorca on a few occasions.
Asked if he beat Nadal on the golf course, Ruud smiled and replied: “No, he beat me there, as well. He’s a very, very tough competitor, honestly, like a bit tough to play with because he doesn’t say much because he’s so focused. Usually on the golf course you are laughing a little bit, joking around. With him, it’s no jokes.”
Ruud is no stranger to Florida. His grandparents had a vacation home in Tampa and he visited almost every winter and took the opportunity to play in junior tournaments.
“We used to come in November, practice a little bit and play Eddie Herr and Orange Bowl,” he said. “I was never able to do too well, unfortunately, but I always enjoyed those junior tournaments and it was pretty much like a World Cup for tennis to play in the Orange Bowl. Then we would stay over Christmas and I sometimes played events in Miami in January.”
He said among his favorite things about Florida are Publix subs.
“One of my favorite things to have for lunch is a Publix sandwich,” he said. “I had a couple of them already this visit here in Miami.”
The winner Sunday earns $1.2 million — enough for lots and lots of Publix subs.
