Casper “The Ice Man” Ruud’s Roland-Garros run has come to an end in Paris, with the No 7 seed losing to Alexander Zverev 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 in the semi-finals on Friday.

The UTS star made a bright start to the match, coming out firing to win the first set with ease. Ruud blasted nine winners from his forehand wing across the opening set, backing it up with a rock-solid 82 percent win rate behind his first serve.

Unfortunately, the Norwegian was unable to sustain his strong start. A stomach issue caused the 25-year-old to fade, with Ruud slipping to a limp four-set loss on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

“I wasn’t able to keep the intensity and energy up”

After the match, Ruud revealed that a stomach bug began hampering his performance towards the end of the first set.

“It was a little bit unfortunate,” The Ice Man explained. “I started well. Towards the middle, end of the first set, I started feeling some discomfort, an ache in my stomach. 

“So I wasn’t able to keep the intensity and the energy level up. It was something that was bothering me. Just kind of limitating me–if that’s a word–to play the way I want to. It was a pity. 

“It’s not something I think is very serious or going to last for a long time, but something that came up in the first set,” Ruud continued. “I won the first set, so it was a good feeling, but didn’t feel very well even in the first set. 

“Then the last three went, you know, quick because Sascha played well, of course, but I wasn’t able to play with the kind of tennis I like to play with intensity because I was kind of limited with my stomach. 

“You know, I don’t want to make an excuse or excuses, but it’s frustrating and disappointing.”

Ruud will now enjoy some time off, with the world No 7 targeting the grass swing as an opportunity for a mid-season rest. After all, he has played close to 50 matches already this year, and will be competing at UTS New York in August.