Sixteen years ago a wide-eyed young Norwegian visited the Caja Magica to enjoy the best tennis in the world. It was 2009, the first year the tournament was held in the Caja Magica, when Roger Federer would win his second Mutua Madrid Open in a final against Rafa Nadal. Seven years later that boy, who came to watch the tennis with his grandmother to celebrate his tenth birthday, would join the academy of the Spanish legend, one of his biggest idols. On Sunday, now 26 years old, he finally took the step forward his career needed. That kid who came to marvel at the legends of the sport all those years ago has now etched his name alongside theirs on the trophy. Casper Ruud is the champion of the 2025 Mutua Madrid Open, and he is finally a Masters 1000 winner.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy grandmother gave me a trip to anywhere in Europe for my 10th\u00a0birthday. I said I wanted to watch tennis, and Madrid was a good option. I think it was the first year it was played in the Caja Magica. I have relatives who lived in Madrid, so we stayed with them and came for two days to watch the tennis. I remember I got Novak\u2019s autograph, and I watched Rafa and Roger and Soderling, who\u2019s Swedish, of course. I also saw Tommy Haas practising. I loved every minute watching the players play, with my grandmother. She has a photo of me and you can see the excitement on my face. It\u2019s incredible, it\u2019s a dream come true to have this trophy here\u201d, explained Ruud.<\/p>\n
There was an underlying feeling that tennis owed the Norwegian something like this. Three finals in Grand Slams, two at Masters 1000s and one at the ATP Finals, all without reward. He deserved it because of his game, his grit, his perseverance, and his class. In the trophy ceremony he told his team: \u201cIt\u2019s incredible, we\u2019ve tried, we\u2019ve failed, but we\u2019ve kept on working\u201d. Nobody epitomises ethics like Casper. As is often the case in tennis, his victory finally came when it was least expected: \u201cI feel like it\u2019s a bit ironic to win this year because I haven\u2019t had the best results, but I\u2019ve finally got the title\u201d, concluded Ruud.<\/p>\n
The Oslo native is happy to take any positives that come his way: \u201cMy career is better than I could have imagined, I\u2019ve been in incredible finals on spectacular stages and although I don\u2019t have a great record in finals, I haven\u2019t given up and I\u2019ve kept working and I\u2019ll keep doing so every day. I\u2019m finally a champion\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd nothing more…\u201d , the Scandinavian wrote on the camera in Spanish just seconds after he had closed out his victory. The phrase is taken from Real Madrid\u2019s anthem, but it is also a reflection of the relief he felt when he won the tournament. His celebration was not over the top, it would have been out of character, but the overwhelming emotion he transmitted was relief. He has finally got that monkey off of his back.<\/p>\n
Ruud was also full of praise for his opponent in Madrid this evening: \u201cJack what a player you are, you\u2019re brilliant. You\u2019re working hard, it\u2019s a pleasure to watch you play and you can play on all surfaces. You barely have any weaknesses in your game. You will enjoy many victories\u201d.<\/p>\n
Andre Agassi, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Marat Safin, Rafa Nadal, David Nalbandian, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and Andrey Rublev are now joined by the Norwegian in the winners\u2019 circle in the Caja Magica. He is the twelfth apostle of Madrid. Moreover, perhaps Ruud\u2019s achievement today will be the springboard he has been looking for to propel him into the Grand Slams.<\/p>\n
In twelve months, the best tennis in the world will be back in Madrid. If you come to the Caja Magica, keep your eyes peeled because who knows, you might just be sitting next to a future champion of the Mutua Madrid Open.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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