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Welcome to the Wimbledon briefing, where The Athletic will explain the stories behind the stories on each day of the tournament.
On Day 1 of Wimbledon 2024, Casper Ruud returned from 10 days of pain, Aryna Sabalenka changed the complexion of the women’s draw, and Frances Tiafoe made new strides after a long period of difficulty.
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Casper Ruud’s long journey back from French Open pain
Casper Ruud has never been big on the Wimbledon grass, a topspin player who struggles to hit the flat balls that stay low and are most effective on the green stuff.
He spent recent Junes following the French Open playing golf and attending concerts (The Weeknd is a fave) rather than playing tournaments in Halle, Germany and at Queen’s in London.
When he didn’t play a grass tournament ahead of this year’s Wimbledon, few were surprised. But Ruud said the reason this time wasn’t extracurricular activities. It was a parasite, that started to make him feel ill at the worst time – during the semifinals of the French Open against Alexander Zverev. Ruud won the first set, then used most of his strength to not lose his lunch on the court.
He spent most of the next week in bed, then…
