Exclusive: Rafael Nadal has a ‘switch’ on and off court reveals Casper Ruud after touring South America with Spaniard

Casper Ruud has revealed Rafael Nadal has a “switch” which can turn his intense on-court personality into someone who is “really fun to be around”.

Nadal is known for the intensity he brings to the court every time he plays from the warm-up all the way until he has shaken the umpire’s hand at the end of a match.

However, on the latest episode of Eurosport’s Ruud Talk, the Norwegian says he has seen a different side of Nadal when the pair travelled across South America last month to play exhibition matches.

“It’s great, but he has a sort of switch,” he said.

“He switches on and off on his personal side. I’m not going to go into all the details or whatever, but it’s really fun to be around.

“He’s not as serious and dedicated as he is on court. He likes to have fun. He dances around a little bit and enjoys a good glass of wine, for example, for dinner. I don’t think he will be bothered me telling this, but he’s a fun guy.

“We had a lot of fun and he has sort of taken me under his wings a little bit with the [Rafael Nadal] Academy and it was fun to be very close to him. Of course, we were in the same hotels all the time, flying around together, so we got to see him up close more and it was fun. He’s a really relaxed guy.”

Nadal beat Ruud at the Nitto ATP Finals in what was his last competitive match of 2022, in a year where he won the Australian Open and French Open titles.

On his experience with Nadal, he jokingly says it was not easy to speak to Nadal when Spain were playing in the World Cup.

“Obviously, he’s older now and more experienced and he hadn’t done a tour like this before, but he had done something similar,” added Ruud.

“I think, back in 2012 or something, he had been with Novak playing a couple of matches in South America. Not as many as now, but he told me a little bit about that. And, in the end, he’s also a father.

“He was talking back home with his wife and his kids, showing me some nice videos of his son and stuff. So, we’re just normal guys. That’s what we all are in the end.

“People think that athletes are like super strict or super serious all the time, but it’s not always the case. We can have fun, we do other stuff in our personal lives as well.”

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