"If you criticize me for going to 'The Weeknd' concert, you have a very boring life" - Casper Ruud

Norwegian tennis star Casper Ruud has responded to fans who criticized him for enjoying a concert weeks before the Wimbledon Championships, saying that players also have a life outside tennis.

Ruud went to The Weeknd's concert in Stockholm on June 23 and this reportedly upset a few fans who felt that he was not taking the grass court season seriously. Ruud lost to Liam Broady in the second round at Wimbledon.

Speaking at a press conference during the UTS (Ultimate Tennis Showdown), a four-day tournament that features eight leading ATP stars, Ruud said via Talking Tennis on X (formerly Twitter):

“If you criticize me for going to The Weeknd concert you have a very boring life.”

Ruud added:

"It's super good to go to concerts. You get the adrenaline but in a different way from watching videos to watching it live. I am very happy to have been able to see him (The Weeknd) three times this summer and I could have gone to see him three more times without a problem."

Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, known professionally as The Weeknd, is a popular Canadian singer, songwriter and record producer. The Grammy Award winner is noted for his unconventional music production and artistic reinventions.

While people may question Ruud's commitment to the tour, he reitarated that players also have a personal life outside the court. Ruud, runner-up at the French Open in 2022, 2023 and the US Open in 2022, is the first Norwegian to win an ATP title.

He said:

"People may question whether or not I took the grass tour seriously. It was 10 at night, we have a life outside of tennis.”

---

"It is certainly a great goal" - Casper Ruud on winning a medal at the Paris Olympics

Ruud said that winning a medal at the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics is a great goal as the clay court conditions would suit his style of play.

Casper Ruud in action at the China Open 2023

“It is certainly a great goal. It is something that happens once every four years. This time it is on clay, at Roland Garros, so these are the conditions in which I feel most comfortable," Ruud told Talking Tennis.

The Norwegian said that winning a medal at the Olympics is special as achieving the feat would make him a hero in his country.

"If you get a medal you become something of a hero in your country. That's something extra that doesn't always come with a Grand Slam," Ruud said.

The World no. 11, however, said that Grand Slams are more important than the Olympics.

"Obviously, in tennis we have four Grand Slams that from my point of view are bigger. I know there are a lot of people who don't understand how I can say something like that but that's the way it is in tennis," he added.