Casper Ruud is the latest top player to make changes to his gear. The former world No.2 has gone to a smaller head size in the hopes that the change will help him swing with a bit more freedom on faster hard courts.
“Not the biggest change,” Ruud confirmed on court after his victory over Reilly Opelka on Friday at Laver Cup, per Tennis Channel. “Just a few adjustments: frame size, head sizes, balances, weight. You can do a lot of tweaks and things here and there. So, it’s still the same frame, just a bit of a smaller head size and it was working well today.
Ruud, 26 and ranked No.12, said he had time to practice with the new specs after his second-round loss at this year’s US Open.
“I feel like I have a little more control on the shots and I can swing a little more full, especially on hard courts and indoor, faster courts” he said. “I had a struggle the last couple of years, where on a fast hard court where I hesitate too much and I don’t feel like I can swing free, because I feel like the ball flies [off] my racquet a bit much, so it was time to try just a minor change.”