Ruud Reigns in Madrid: The Yonex Star makes his tennis dream a reality

Madrid, SPAIN – Ever since he was a boy, Casper Ruud (NOR) has been dreaming of winning an ATP Masters 1000 title. The head-to-toe Yonex ambassador made that dream a reality on the clay of Madrid’s Caja Magica – the “Magic Box” - where he claimed the biggest title of his career, proving he can rise to the occasion when it matters most.

For Norway, this marked a historic moment in the thin air of the Spanish capital, as Ruud became the first Norwegian to win an ATP Masters 1000 title. On a personal level, this was hugely meaningful for Ruud. As he put it, this had been a long time coming. For all the other success that Ruud has had during his tennis career, winning ATP 250 and ATP 500 titles, he had lost all six of his previous finals at the sport’s highest stages — three Grand Slam finals, one ATP Finals, and two Masters 1000 finals. After those disappointments, defeating Jack Draper in a dramatic three-set final felt nothing short of “incredible.”

With his first title at any level since last year’s triumph in Geneva – which was almost 12 months ago – Ruud returned to the Top 10 in the ATP Rankings, moving up 8 places from number 15 to number 7.

“It feels great, of course. It’s been a long time coming,” Ruud, who plays with an Ezone 100 racquet, said after beating Draper 7-5, 3-6, 6-4. “[This was] one of the really big goals I dreamed about when I was young, so it’s an incredible feeling to accomplish it. Also, the way I did it today, it was a great match. I knew Jack had been playing unbelievably all year, and especially in this tournament, so I knew that if I didn’t bring my A-plus game, I was going to be whooped around the court. Luckily, I played really well.”

Ruud dropped only one set throughout the week — in the final. His victory comes at an ideal time, just ahead of Roland-Garros, the Grand Slam that is best suited to his game. Twelve of Ruud’s 13 ATP singles titles have been on clay, and he has twice reached the final of Roland-Garros, in 2022 and 2023, while last year he played in the semi-finals in Paris. Winning in Madrid could give Ruud the confidence to believe that, having made some history in Spain, he can write some more in France: victory at Roland-Garros would make him the first Norwegian to win a Grand Slam singles title. “I guess a win [in Madrid] shows the other players I'm here to try to do well for the rest of the clay season,” Ruud says.

Road to the title: 

First round: Bye

Second round: Beat Arthur Rinderknech 6-3, 6-4

Third round: Beat Sebastian Korda 6-3, 6-3

Fourth round: Beat Taylor Fritz 7-5, 6-4

Quarter-final: Beat Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-5

Semi-final: Beat Francisco Cerundolo 6-4, 7-5

Final: Beat Jack Draper 7-5, 3-6, 6-4