A. ZVEREV/C. Ruud
7-6, 6-3
THE MODERATOR: It was a tough match against a tough opponent. How would you assess your performance today?
CASPER RUUD: Yeah, it was difficult. I think all in all it was pretty high-quality match in terms of serve and playing behind your serve from both players.
Definitely including myself, I felt like I served really well today, which I kind of need against Sascha because he serves so well himself.
Unfortunately a bit of a poor last service game where I lost a break. Yeah, found it difficult to get it back. Obviously was only one more game. He was serving for it right after. I did my best.
Sascha is playing really with a lot of confidence, really powerful behind his strokes. Yeah, that's really tough to play him when he plays like this.
THE MODERATOR: First question.
Q. Rublev leads 5-2 against you in head-to-head. What is your game plan?
CASPER RUUD: I think Andrey is really, really good player. He didn't get the best start here in the Finals this time, but it's going to be an open match, for sure.
I've had good memories playing him in this tournament before. I think the only two times I beat him was here before, so let's see what happens on Friday.
I'm going to do my best. I know there's a chance that I can qualify for the semifinal if I beat him. I think it's still fun because it's an open group still. No one is qualified, no one is out. Both of us are going to need a win to have any chance.
It's going to be interesting. Andrey is a really good friend of mine. We get along really well. Of course, on Friday it's going to be game on. My game plan just to try to play good tennis.
First match I played well. Today I think I played quite well. Just didn't get the right points. Wasn't able to break Sascha. Got a bit of a bad start in the tiebreak. But that's how it is.
All in all, I'm happy with the level I produced so far here. Hopefully I can bring it also on Friday night.
Q. You will play in the evening. How can change things whether Zverev or Alcaraz win their match for you? Do you have an idea how could change everything? You have to calculate something.
CASPER RUUD: Yeah, I think from what I guess is if Sascha wins over Carlos, I will qualify with a win. If Carlos beats Sascha, I will definitely need a win to qualify.
I'm just going to think I need to win my match anyhow. I think it's going to be a cool match with Sascha and Carlos. They typically play really good matches. Back and forth, whoever wins...
But yeah, I guess for Sascha's sake, he's in kind of the leading seat now. If he wins, he knows he's going to be qualified. I think if he loses against Carlos, it can still be a theoretical chance depending on the score, if it's three sets, all this stuff.
In theory, if Sascha loses to Carlos and I beat Andrey, I think we all have two wins each. I'm not sure how they're going to count it, but could be a chance. I don't know.
I'm just going to think about my match. There will be many hours between Sascha and Carlos' match and me and Andrey. Whatever happens, I will just stay in my bubble.
Could be the last match of the year. If I win, could be one more after. I'm just going to give it my all.
Q. Since you arrived in Turin, you've been showing one of the best matches that you played in the entire year. What happened in the last few months, if you can tell us which was the problem, or there were many problems?
CASPER RUUD: I think let's take from whatever happened after US Open, because US Open I lost the fourth round. It was a decent result. But after US Open, I didn't really find - I don't know - confidence. Also physically I didn't feel too good. I did my best.
Sometimes you play certain players that you find more uncomfortable to play than others. Honestly, the last months I've found the courts really fast on the tour. Tokyo, Shanghai, Basel, Stockholm. And Paris was really, really fast this year, much faster than I remembered it from being.
This is something that maybe is not what I love. It's okay. It's what other players maybe like. Not going to complain about it or make an excuse, but I found it difficult.
If you watch me play, watch me play closely in a lot of matches, you'll realize that my forehand is my weapon. But it's also more dangerous on a high-bouncing, slow court. When I can hit it from here than down there, it's a big difference. For other players, it might be different with flatter balls.
I think I also played players that make me play a bit uncomfortable. I lost two times to Jordan Thompson. For me, I think he's a tricky player to play. Really good serve, he can come to the net, all this stuff.
Bautista, I lost to him in Basel. Came from victory in Antwerp. He was in good confidence.
Yeah, I don't know. I don't have the answers because I lost a few close matches. But it's tennis. I mean, I never did really well in the fall anyway. Maybe I should just stay home in the future. Who knows (smiling).
It's not good for the confidence either when you lose five, six matches in a row. Maybe it's better to stay on the sofa and watch tennis instead of playing and losing. Let's see (smiling).
Q. You're a very good player to play against Zverev's style. What does he do better besides from the serve and everything in the last months? After the Laver Cup he had a pneumonia, problems with the lungs. Still not 100% recovered. Is this something that is talked about?
CASPER RUUD: Well, I think you kind of said it. The serve is taking it to another level for me. He doesn't do the double-faults anymore. He doesn't get shaky with his serve anymore. His first serve is 225, around there, all the time.
I think certain days I can kind of know the feeling. From what I see certain days, when he's not playing his best, he can struggle a bit with the forehand. In my case it would be I'm struggling with my backhand.
When I look at Sascha, I see that when he wants to rely on the shot, it's the backhand he prefers to play. For me, for example, it's the forehand. So that's normal.
When he's playing good with the forehand, it's really difficult to play him. You don't really kind of know where to play. I think that he's moving better and with more confidence. Definitely normal.
He broke almost every ligament in his foot when he twisted his ankle. In the beginning when you come back, you're still probably thinking about uncertainty when you move, to step down, to take the right steps. You don't want it to happen again.
You can see now he's moving freely, sliding on clay and hard court. He's able to do that. I was really shocked and sad for him when it happened because he was really close to being world No. 1 I remember. I think in theory he was one or two match wins away from being No. 1. I also know that feeling (smiling).
I think he deserves to be it in his career. He's also may be missing a Grand Slam to say that his career is maybe like really complete because he won everything else.
I think it's nice to see him back with confidence moving in his shots. Of course, it's tough because he's a really good player. I'm happy for him. It's really impressive that he's been able to turn it around really fast. It's not that long ago where he rolled his ankle really badly.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports