Emil Ruusuvuori on tennis, fashion and mental health battles

For a long time, Finnish men’s tennis was synonymous with one player: Jarkko Nieminen. Then came Emil Ruusuvuori. The 27-year-old has spearheaded a new generation of tennis talent in a country better known for ice hockey and cross-country skiing. In 2023, Ruusuvuori, the second-highest-ranked Finnish tennis player of all time, climbed to No. 37 in the ATP rankings, placing him among the world’s elite players. It’s no small feat, considering that thousands of professional tennis players compete around the world, yet only a fraction crack the top 100.

​I meet Ruusuvuori on a crisp spring day at Merihaan Pallohalli in Helsinki, a cinematic sporting centre that feels like it’s stuck in a bygone era (it also served as the location for this shoot). Soft-spoken and well-mannered, he comes across as refreshingly honest and down-to-earth.

​The life of a tennis star, Ruusuvuori explains, as we settle into a quirky, dimly-lit room evoking a pub-slash-clubhouse, isn’t quite as glamorous as it might look. Yes, there are luxury hotels, exclusive tennis clubs, and trips around the world, but it’s still a rat race, albeit a different one from the nine-to-five corporate grind. Most of the year, you’re living out of a suitcase. “You’re touring the same hotels and the same places – just the sheer amount of travelling can get exhausting,” he says. Then there’s the constant pressure to perform and deliver on court. But it might just be these high stakes that make tennis such a thrilling sport to play, and watch.