Casper Ruud says he 'really likes' what Iga Swiatek does which you don't see very often on the ATP Tour

Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud are one of the many star pairings at the US Open mixed doubles event this year.

Swiatek won the Cincinnati Open on Monday after beating Jasmine Paolini to win her second title this year after Wimbledon.

Just 16 hours after winning the title in Ohio, Swiatek was playing with Casper Ruud in New York.

Not showing any signs of fatigue, Ruud and Swiatek have made the perfect start to their doubles partnership.

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Casper Ruud praises Iga Swiatek for what she does before points

Ruud and Swiatek had never played doubles together before, but have made an emphatic start to their new partnership.

After beating Frances Tiafoe and Madison Keys, and Lorenzo Musetti and Caty McNally, Ruud and Swiatek have reached the semifinals of the much talked about US Open mixed doubles event.

In their post-match press conference, Ruud was asked if his appreciation has changed for Swiatek after playing with her for the first time.

Ruud then heaped praise on Swiatek both as a person and a player, before saying that he likes the way she swings her racket in preparation for a point, something that he claims is not common on the ATP Tour.

“Yeah, just the grit and determination. She’s a very kind human, as I see her from the outside, I get to know her a little bit more,” said Ruud. “She wants the best for everyone around her.

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“On the court she’s very, very intense in a good way. I like those kind of players. I think we both idolized Rafa [Nadal] when we grew up. Just the focus when we go on court, we’re there to do a job, kind of go into the zone. She really does that incredibly well.

“I really like when she does her swings on the court and gets ready for a point. It’s not something the men always do too much. I really think it’s a cool thing. It’s her thing, way of getting ready for a new point. I’ve done it in the past in training. I don’t do it so much in matches.

“It just shows how focused and determined she is. It’s a completely different game when you play doubles, of course. I think we both maybe feel a bit stressed here and there in rallies. You have a person at the net.

“All in all I think we played well. We fit our games well. We played two great matches today. Look forward. Yeah, maybe we’ll do some hitting and warm-up tomorrow and get ready.”

Casper Ruud reveals if he was worried Iga Swiatek would withdraw from the US Open mixed doubles event

With such little turnaround from the Cincinnati Open final, there was a lot of speculation over whether Swiatek would withdraw from the mixed doubles event at the US Open.

This is something that runner-up Paolini decided to do, and Ruud has now admitted that he was a little bit worried Swiatek would follow.

“I can’t lie. I was a little concerned,” admitted Ruud. “We both prepared each other if we were to do well in Cincinnati, that something might happen. We said that early when we planned.”

Swiatek responded, “I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry (smiling).”

Ruud added, “And, yeah, last night I was having dinner here in New York, following the score, chatting a bit with Iga’s team while she was playing. She doesn’t know this.

“I think it’s her will in the end and she decided to show up here, which is wildly impressive because she got to bed 12 hours ago in her hotel in New York, and she is here. She was here stretching, doing her warm-up at 10 a.m.

“Yeah, just really, really proud of two days, both wins. Iga will have a good night’s sleep tonight. She deserves that. We’ll be ready for tomorrow.”

Swiatek and Ruud will look to continue their positive energy towards one another when they play their semifinal against Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper.

Both the US Open mixed doubles semifinal and final will take place on Wednesday, August 20.

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