Casper Ruud joked that he and Ons Jabeur have a strong bond because they both lost two Grand Slam finals last year. In 2022, the 24-year-old Ruud reached two Grand Slam finals: the Norwegian was beaten by Rafael Nadal in the French Open final and also lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the US Open final.
On the other hand, the 28-year-old Jabeur also reached her first two Grand Slam finals last year: the Tunisian lost to Elena Rybakina in the Wimbledon final and also fell just short to Iga Swiatek in the US Open final. On Tuesday, Ruud and Jabeur competed together in the Eisenhower Cup, a mixed doubles tie break tens event.
«She’s very nice. Me and Ons both lost two Slam finals last year, so we have that together, we have a strong bond now. We have a lot in common. It was a great atmosphere,» Ruud jokes. he said, for sportskeeda.
Jabeur enjoyed playing alongside Ruud
In their first match at the Eisenhower Cup, Jabeur and Ruud defeated Americans Jessica Pegula and Tommy Paul 10-5.
Jabeur and Ruud’s run ended in the semifinal with a 10-8 loss against Aryna Sabalenka and Taylor Fritz. Jabeur absolutely enjoyed playing mixed doubles with Ruud and now looks forward to her and the Norwegian enjoying successful singles campaigns in the desert.
«It was just about having fun and, you know, Casper was very supportive. It was a great experience playing with him. He’s amazing. Hopefully it’s a good start for both of us in the tournament,» Jabeur said. Meanwhile, Jabeur is playing his first tournament in two months.
Jabeur began her 2023 season in Australia, where she competed at the Adelaide International and the Australian Open. In Australia, Jabeur appeared to be dealing with a knee injury. After the Australian Open, Jabeur underwent minor surgery. Now, Jabeur is the fourth seed in Indian Wells and has a first-round bye.
