The 15th-ranked player in the world, Norwegian Kasper Ruud, shared his thoughts on the packed schedule of the ATP tour season.

“When you see everyone else competing weekly or managing a full season, it kind of pushes you to follow suit. Of course, there are days and moments when I wish the season were a bit shorter, granting us more time to genuinely relax and not think about tennis for a while, but that’s not how it is. The schedule is simply what it is.

If you finish the year in the top 30 of the world rankings, as I’ve calculated, you are required to participate in 28 or 29 weeks the following season. You have to show up at these tournaments – it’s something you can’t escape,” Ruud remarked during a press conference after his quarterfinal match at the Madrid tournament.

Ruud advanced to the semifinals of the Madrid Masters, defeating Russian Daniil Medvedev with a score of 6:3, 7:5.

In the semifinals, Ruud will face Argentine Francisco Cerundolo, who triumphed in his quarterfinal match against Czech Jakub Menšík, winning 3:6, 7:6, 6:2. The tournament in Madrid runs from April 23 to May 4, and the reigning champion is Russian Andrey Rublev.