‘I looked up to him’ Casper Ruud remembers his childhood hero Rafael Nadal as he wins the biggest title of his career in Barcelona
Casper Ruud got his revenge against Stefanos Tsitsipas for last week’s defeat. He won the biggest title of his career on the court named after his idol Rafael Nadal, in Barcelona.
Last week, Casper Ruud made it to his first final at the Monte Carlo Masters, defeating world number one Novak Djokovic en route to the championship match. However, Stefanos Tsitsipas who has one of the best win percentages on Caja Magica, the center court of the tournament, made quick work of the Norwegian 6-1, 6-4. They clashed today in their second consecutive final in under a week, where Ruud got back at Tsitsipas, winning 7-5, 6-3. During the post-match presentation ceremony, the world number six took a moment to pay heed to the importance of winning a title on a court named after his idol.
This one has been a long time coming and super happy to do it in front of a packed stadium and on the Rafael Nadal court so it’s special as I looked up to him ever since I was a a kid. Casper Ruud said after his title win