HASLE, OSLO (VG) (Casper Ruud – Aleksandr Bublik, 4–6, 7–5, 4–6) Casper Ruud struggled with minor injuries and trumpets Kazakhstan, and was unable to keep Norway’s playoff dream alive.

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– I have a little uncomfortable feeling. Besides that, he’s in a really good rhythm with his serve, so I had to break it up a bit,” Ruud told VG of the treatment he’s received – and doesn’t deny that it was a tactical treatment timeout.

Ruud had to be treated by physiotherapist Alexander Brun early in the third set. The Norwegian lay down while physiotherapists treated her abdominal area, which Ruud has struggled with after the last win in Buenos Aires on February 13.

The injury ruled him out of tournaments in Santiago and Rio de Janeiro, and also coach Christian Ruud dropped him from the doubles team to reduce the overall workload.

It was 1-1 after the first two sets, Ruud broke in his first serve game in the decisive set and never recovered.

Ruud lost the match, and the favorites from Kazakhstan won the Davis Cup qualifiers 3-1 on aggregate.

Kazakhstan is strong in the stands, with powerful drum and trumpet players alternating between playing movie music from The Godfather and the latest hits.

Halfway through the second set, Ruud felt the need to speak to the referee, to which the referee asked to increase the silence around the points:

Basically, there has to be silence during points in tennis, and that’s the rule Ruud claims to the referee.

– I don’t really understand the point of having that rule. According to the rules, if someone collects points, it can cause the team to be punished. When there were shouts and screams from the stands, I wondered why they didn’t punish. Where is the line between what is a barrier and what is not? What does it take for them to be punished? “Tennis is a lonely sport all the time, so I should be allowed to ask questions,” Ruud told VG.

– It’s nothing. Today there are 80 here, usually there are three or four hundred at away games. Imagine what it would be like in Astana, there would be a few thousand,” Bublik told VG about the away fans’ noise level.

Casper Ruud had to win to give Viktor Durasovic a chance to send Norway into the Davis Cup final for the first time.

Norway will return to Davis Cup World Group I for another play-off chance next year.