Ruud Takes Flight In Lyon Challenger Free Fall


Casper Ruud is soaring both on and off the court these days. The #NextGenATP star, who is projected to rise to a career-high World No. 108 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on Monday, enjoyed a break from the action at the Open Sopra Steria de Lyon to take flight in an indoor skydiving simulator.

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"It was so much fun," said Ruud. "More than I expected actually. I had a day off and the tournament helped us set it up so it was very cool."

Ruud and his coach Pedro Rico visited the iFly facility in Lyon on Thursday, taking part in the free fall activity. Following a 30-minute video training session, they practised with a supervisor who instructed them on the falling position and some sign language to use in the wind tunnel. They each had two one-minute jumps to get the basic floating position and then one to move up and down with the supervisor.

Ruud boasted another strong result on the ATP Challenger Tour this week as he continues his push towards the Top 100. The Norwegian teen advanced to his fifth quarter-final of the year, before succumbing to Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime in three tight sets.