Casper Ruud’s strong form on indoor hard courts this year, along with his excellent start to the current indoor swing, had boosted his ATP Finals qualification hopes and helped him close the gap in the Race to Turin. Unfortunately, his progress was halted when he was forced to retire from his quarterfinal match in Basel last week, a setback that prevented him from further reducing the deficit to Lorenzo Musetti, who currently holds the eighth and final qualifying spot.
The reported reason for Ruud’s retirement in Basel last week was an ankle issue. If he has used the past few days to recover properly, he should be able to resume his push for ATP Finals qualification. At the moment, everything else, form, momentum, and confidence, appears to be in his favor, with fitness being the only remaining concern.
Ruud has compiled an outstanding 13–2 record on indoor hard courts in 2025, making this by far the best season of his career on the surface. In the three indoor ATP events he has entered this year, he reached the final twice, finishing runner-up in Dallas and winning the title in Stockholm, before retiring from his quarterfinal match in Basel last week.
After losing to local talent Gilles Arnaud Bailly in the first round in Brussels and getting bageled by eventual champion Jannik Sinner in the Vienna opener last week, Daniel Altmaier received a neutral matchup at the Paris Masters this week and made good use of it, securing his first win of this year’s European indoor swing with a solid straight-sets victory over Marcos Giron, 6-2, 7-6.
Prior to this week, the German had competed at the Paris Masters only once, in 2023, when he received a walkover from Taylor Fritz in the second round. It would not be too surprising if he benefited from another walkover or retirement this year, given the current fitness concerns surrounding Casper Ruud. However, if he is required to play a full match, it will be a tough test for him, as he has managed to defeat a top-10 player on hard courts only once in seven attempts.
Head-to-head: Tied at 1-1. Casper Ruud has been in fine form at the moment and holds an excellent record on indoor hard courts this year. The only concern is his ankle fitness after last week’s setback. If he is physically fit and able to move freely, he should have the upper hand and be well-positioned to manage the challenge Daniel Altmaier presents based on current form.
