Casper Ruud's Australian Open campaign came to an abrupt end on Monday night as he succumbed to a resilient Ben Shelton in the fourth round. While the defeat may have been disappointing for the three-time Grand Slam finalist, the silver lining is that he will finally be able to return home, owing to his wife Maria's imminent due date.
As Ruud had previously stated, the pressure of being in the Australian Open while his wife was pregnant with their first child weighed heavily on him. He had repeatedly expressed his desire to withdraw from the tournament if Maria went into labor during the competition, and this opportunity has now arisen. The timing couldn't be more favorable, as Maria is due to give birth this weekend.
Ruud's performance in the match against Shelton was a far cry from his solid form in the previous rounds. The seventh seed American dominated the final three sets, with Ruud struggling to cope with Shelton's devastating serve. Despite being outplayed, Ruud showed resilience but ultimately fell short.
The Australian Open has been marked by an unprecedented dominance of top players, with all six seeds in both men's and women's draws advancing to the quarter-finals with relative ease. The competition remains highly stacked, with several high-profile matches set to take place. Jannik Sinner's dominant victory over Luciano Darderi saw him book a spot in the last eight, while Iga Swiatek continued her impressive form by dispatching Maddison Inglis 6-0, 6-3.
The men's draw also features several intriguing matchups, including Carlos Alcaraz vs. Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti vs. Novak Djokovic. The women's quarter-finals will see Swiatek rekindle her rivalry with Elena Rybakina, while Aryna Sabalenka takes on Iva Jovic in the top half of the draw.
As Ruud had previously stated, the pressure of being in the Australian Open while his wife was pregnant with their first child weighed heavily on him. He had repeatedly expressed his desire to withdraw from the tournament if Maria went into labor during the competition, and this opportunity has now arisen. The timing couldn't be more favorable, as Maria is due to give birth this weekend.
Ruud's performance in the match against Shelton was a far cry from his solid form in the previous rounds. The seventh seed American dominated the final three sets, with Ruud struggling to cope with Shelton's devastating serve. Despite being outplayed, Ruud showed resilience but ultimately fell short.
The Australian Open has been marked by an unprecedented dominance of top players, with all six seeds in both men's and women's draws advancing to the quarter-finals with relative ease. The competition remains highly stacked, with several high-profile matches set to take place. Jannik Sinner's dominant victory over Luciano Darderi saw him book a spot in the last eight, while Iga Swiatek continued her impressive form by dispatching Maddison Inglis 6-0, 6-3.
The men's draw also features several intriguing matchups, including Carlos Alcaraz vs. Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti vs. Novak Djokovic. The women's quarter-finals will see Swiatek rekindle her rivalry with Elena Rybakina, while Aryna Sabalenka takes on Iva Jovic in the top half of the draw.
I'm sure it can't be easy for him, but on the bright side, he'll finally get to experience all the joys of new parenthood 
. And let's be real, who wouldn't want to miss that many hours of sleep? 
This is just one more reason why I love watching tennis - the drama, the triumphs, and now the new beginnings 
u know how stressful it is to have exams coming up and then u gotta deal w/ a major tournament at the same time? casper ruud had that same stress on his back while being pregnant with his wife maria 
, and now he can finally go home! thats good news for him tho 
. but sad 4 fans who wanted him to win 
! I feel so bad for him, he was really struggling out there on the court, but at least his wife Maria is due to give birth this weekend 
. And speaking of Australian Open, it’s like, super stacked this year 
. All these top players just cruising through to the quarter-finals...
... Casper Ruud just makes up more excuses for his losses? First, it's his wife being pregnant and now it's she's due this weekend? Is this a standard script or what? No sources needed to know that he was tired of playing during Maria's pregnancy. Come on, man! 
And another thing, if he really wanted out of the tournament, why didn't he withdraw after the third round like he said? All this talk about his wife's due date feels like a convenient cop-out. I want to see some real answers from Ruud about what was going on in that head of his during those matches. 
. And what about all those top players dominating their matches like it's no big deal? I mean, where's the competition? The Aussie Open is supposed to be the toughest tournament of the year, but these guys just keep on trucking 
. Mark my words, there's more to this than meets the eye... 
! Everyone who's anyone is making it to the quarter-finals without breaking a sweat 
. Meanwhile, Ruud gets to go home and be with his new little bundle of joy 
– I guess that's a win-win for him and Maria, but what about the other players who didn't get a chance to spend quality time with their loved ones during the tournament? 
! His wife Maria is due this weekend, and it's so sweet that he gets to come home early. That pressure must have been crazy though - being pregnant during the Aussie Open? No wonder he wasn't playing his best tennis. Ben Shelton was on fire though 
... I'm curious, has anyone seen how Casper's wife is doing? Is she okay with him stepping back from the tournament now? And what about the other players in the draw? Does anyone think Swiatek and Sinner are gonna make it to the final?
. He's been talking about this all tournament, so it's awesome he gets to prioritize his personal life now 
. Now Ruud can focus on being a new dad and not having to worry about being in a high-pressure tournament while being pregnant 
he had it tough with his wife pregnant and now he gets to go home early lol that's super sweet of him tho 
and i hope iga swiatek keeps slaying 
. But on the bright side, his wife Maria is finally due to give birth this weekend, so he can head back home 
! That's gotta be a huge weight off his shoulders, and I'm sure he'll be an amazing dad 
gotta be super relieved for him and his fam. but for tennis fans, it's like "what could've been" 
still got some great matches coming up tho, like that alcaraz vs sinner one looks lit 
anyway back to tennis... casper ruud's performance was kinda weird, i mean ben shelton was on fire out there 
but at the same time i'm so happy for him and his wife maria