Casper Ruud Gets Honest about Sportswashing in Tennis

World No. 8 tennis player Casper Ruud addressed the thorny issue of sportswashing in tennis.

Jul 3, 2024; London, United Kingdom; Casper Ruud of Norway reacts to a point during his match against Fabio Fognini of Italy (not shown) on day three of The Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images / Susan Mullane-Imagn Images

Casper Ruud is currently in Sweden, preparing for the quarterfinals of the Stockholm Open. However, his comments about the Six Kings Slam and Saudia Arabia are reverberating around the entire world.

Ruud spoke with Nicholas Albek of the Danish sports media outlet SpilXperten. In the interview, Ruud provided a lengthy answer about the issue of "sportswashing" in tennis.

First coined in 2015, the phrase combines "sports" and "whitewash." Countries use sports to improve a reputation that has been damaged by wrongdoing. It has been a major issue in every sport, especially golf.

Interview med @CasperRuud98 omkring turneringen 6 Kings Slam og Saudi-Arabiens indflydelse på tennis i fremtiden 🎾 #6kingsslam #tennis #casperruud pic.twitter.com/uj3GY7ZzDl

— SpilXperten (@SpilXperten) October 17, 2024

Ruud explained, "I didn't get an offer from the Six Kings Slam, but I've had offers in the past, and I've chosen not to go. Of course, it is a controversial country in many ways, but there are also other countries that are controversial that we travel to and play in."

Ruud continued, "You can definitely discuss China and human rights there, but we go there every year. There was a lot of talk about Peng Shuai and what happened to her, and that's just to say that if you want to point to Saudi Arabia as a controversial country, you should also mention other countries that we don't talk about."

The 25-year-old said he "may seem very naive" but remained hopeful that sports could help make incremental change around the world. He also made a bold prediction about a future partnership between Saudia Arabia and the ATP.

A Scandinavian success 😉 🇳🇴

Casper Ruud earns his first ever win in Stockholm with a 6-4, 7-6(3) victory over Lorenzo Sonego. #bnpparibasnordicopen pic.twitter.com/vHfSDeeYYa

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) October 16, 2024

Ruud said there are a lot of rumors about the ATP tour adding an extra tournament in Saudi Arabia. He added, "I've chosen not to go there so far, but it seems inevitable to me that they will be big in tennis in the future, and they already have the Next Gen Finals, so let's see what the future holds."

Sportswashing is a thorny issue that is not going away anytime soon and neither is Ruud. He is currently the World No. 8 and has a record of 48-19 with two titles this season. Tennis fans can follow Sports Illustrated's Serve on SI for all the most important news from the sport.

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