Casper Ruud: From Heartbreak to Glory

Casper Ruud's Madrid Masters win gives him momentum heading into the French Open, where he aims to claim his first Grand Slam title.

Casper Ruud, the world number seven, is confident he'll be “even tougher to beat” at the French Open after winning his first Masters 1000 title in Madrid. This victory marks a significant milestone in his career and provides a timely boost ahead of the clay-court Grand Slam.

Ruud overcame a rib injury and a determined Jack Draper to win the Madrid title, securing a 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 victory. This triumph makes him the first Norwegian player to win a Masters 1000 crown, and he's now set his sights on claiming his first Grand Slam trophy at the French Open.

Casper Ruud ended a six-match losing streak in major finals, including losses in the 2022 French Open and US Open. His win marked a significant turnaround for the 26-year-old Norwegian.

“With this win, I put myself back in a good position when it comes to ranking and seeding,” Ruud said. The victory propelled him eight spots up in the rankings, returning him to the top 10 just ahead of the year's second Grand Slam, starting May 25.

Casper Ruud is officially an ATP Masters 1000 champion 🏆 pic.twitter.com/1UEDE6uoUs

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) May 4, 2025

“If you want to win a tournament it doesn't really matter what your ranking is because you have to beat every player you play anyways, but it's a good step forward, and when I come to Paris, I'll always have great feeling and memories from the place.

“I'm a good clay court player and in best-of-five sets, I'll be even tougher to beat, that's my mentality.

“I know I don't need to play great every point or every single match, but I know I can physically be there for a long time and play my clay court game, make it difficult for the opponents. That's how I felt when I've done well there.”

Casper Ruud leads the tour in clay court wins (125) and titles (12) since 2020. He'll leverage this expertise as he prepares for the French Open.

”A win here shows the other players that I'm here to try to do well for the rest of the clay season,” Ruud said, looking ahead to the Italian Open, his next tune-up event before Roland Garros.