The doubles draw at Wimbledon is studded with star gamers, from the highest doubles tandems to singles standouts like Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas. One of the attention-grabbing duos is three-time main finalist Casper Ruud and his longtime good friend, William Blumberg.
Why is the No. 8 participant within the PIF ATP Rankings teaming with an American who went to the College of North Carolina? Ruud and Blumberg’s story dates again to their days as juniors.
“He was the No. 1 junior on the earth at some extent I used to be No. 4. And actually it began so much once I went on a visit to Chengdu, China for the ITF Junior Masters,” Blumberg mentioned. “We frolicked so much there. We went to a panda sanctuary and we joked round. After which as we obtained older, we stayed in contact a bit, however not very a lot.
“After school, we reconnected and frolicked. We bond over the identical issues, we’re fairly related. We each love golf, obsess over golf and play golf. He is unbelievable at golf, and I strive. So we now have a number of the identical issues, related values. His girlfriend’s buddies with my spouse now… only a good friendship.”
Blumberg, now 26, and Ruud, 25, have been additionally shut with Miomir Kecmanovic and the reminiscences they created collectively of their teenagers retains them shut as we speak. Blumberg, a three-time ATP Tour doubles titlist, has partnered each and claimed a crown with Kecmanovic in 2022 at Los Cabos.
“I left college at 14, so similar to them, they have been doing on-line college. You journey each week. So whenever you see one another and you’ve got guys which can be related, you might have the identical values and also you simply reconnect,” Blumberg mentioned. “So it is good, you are all making an attempt to realize related issues. And in order that’s clearly necessary as nicely, nevertheless it’s very nice.”
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Final yr, Blumberg spent per week in Norway with Ruud between Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
“We talked about me visiting Norway as a result of it is superb there. It is superb in the summertime, it was my first time. And we simply discovered per week that made sense,” Blumberg mentioned. “I had per week the place I wasn’t enjoying a match and he was like, ‘Hey, come practise’. For me, it was an incredible alternative to practise with among the finest gamers on the earth and a superb good friend of mine. So yeah, it was superb. And my spouse got here and his girlfriend was there. And so we simply had a very nice time.”
Not solely does Blumberg get pleasure from spending time on court docket along with his good friend, however he’s additionally capable of be taught from competing with among the finest gamers on the earth.
“It is nice. I’d argue that he has among the finest forehands on the planet Earth, possibly the perfect forehand on the planet Earth. So for me to look at that, watch his preparation, [is great],” Blumberg mentioned. “Truthfully, simply having the chance to play with a participant like him and actually be on the Slams and watch all the highest gamers, watch all the highest Individuals which have come up that I knew once I was younger, simply watch them, watch them work and watch these prime guys. And for me to look at him up shut is superb.
“He is given me a number of nice alternatives… I thank him for that, nevertheless it’s additionally good simply enjoying with a good friend.”
Blumberg has additionally bonded with Ruud over their love of golf. However past sports activities, the 10-time school All-American pointed to his Norwegian good friend’s character.
“To be sincere, I am a fairly cheap particular person, we’re on totally different ranges,” Blumberg mentioned. “He treats everybody kindly with respect as do a number of the fellows that I grew up with. However to be that very same man at that stage… it is good. However it’s a bit little bit of a grander scale for him. And so for him to nonetheless be like that, if he sat down with you, he’d deal with you with the identical respect that anybody would and I feel that tells so much about him as an individual.”
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