Emil Ruusuvuori is set to return to action this week at the ATP Challenger Tour 75 event in Tenerife, Spain — the Finn’s first tournament in six months.
“It’s been a while. Six months out is a long time,” Ruusuvuori told ATPTour.com. “It probably will take some time to get back to it. We’ll see how it starts, but you have to be patient when you come back after such a long period. Week by week, try to go forward and go back to the shape I was in.”
The former World No. 37 in the PIF ATP Rankings boasts more than 100 tour-level wins, including four victories against Top 10 opponents. But Ruusuvuori faced adversity in 2024. He wrote on social media in September that he “decided to take a break from tennis for the rest of the year to focus on my physical and mental health”.
Ruusuvuori did not touch his racquets for four-and-a-half months, besides two casual outings.
“I did go to Davis Cup [in September] with the team even though I wasn’t playing. The group is nice to be around so I went there. And I did one doubles practice with them. I didn’t even have my racquets, they were in the garage. And then [I played] once in Switzerland with my girlfriend,” Ruusuvuori said. "It was at a court at the hotel. So that was my tennis for four-and-a-half months.”
During his absence from competition, the Helsinki native spent quality time with family and friends. He enjoyed a vacation to Finland’s northernmost region, Lapland, with his girlfriend.
“That was very, very nice. I went there once when I was very young, but not in many years. It’s a very special place with nature,” Ruusuvuori said. “I did some fishing and just some walking in the forest where there is nobody for tens of kilometres away. It’s very peaceful and different from the normal living we do.”
When asked about his goals for the 2025 season, Ruusuvuori kept it simple.
“First, it’s getting back into shape and getting things rolling. Get the match play routine back. Get the body to where it needs to be. There’s a lot of things to work on. And then just enjoy the game,” said Ruusuvuori, who is now working with Finland’s former doubles No. 1 Henri Kontinen. “It doesn’t matter where, when, who you play… The main goal is just enjoying the whole thing.”
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