If at first you do not succeed, persevere and continue to make efforts.
Following three runner-up finishes in Grand Slam finals, one Nitto ATP Finals championship match, and two ATP Masters 1000 title encounters, Casper Ruud demonstrated commendable composure on Sunday at the Mutua Madrid Open. The Norwegian player maintained his focus throughout an intense two-and-a-half-hour match to ultimately defeat Jack Draper and secure the most significant title of his career.
“It feels great, of course. It’s been a long time coming,” said Ruud after his 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 final triumph at the Spanish Masters 1000. “[This was] one of the really big goals I dreamed about when I was young, so it’s an incredible feeling to accomplish it.”
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Having competed against Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic (twice), Rafael Nadal, and Stefanos Tsitsipas in his previous six finals at the Masters 1000 level and above, Ruud remained confident that his opportunity would arise.
“I’ve just played [opponents] that were better than me, and I’ve tried to learn from that and think that one day there will come another opportunity and maybe I can seize it,” said the 26-year-old. “I guess that was the key to the victory today.”
As a result of his recent victory in Madrid after only two weeks away, Ruud has returned to the Top 10 of the PIF ATP Rankings. He is now preparing to participate in the Rome Masters 1000 tournament. The Internazionali BNL d’Italia field is led by World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who will be competing for the first time since his victory at the Australian Open in January.
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