Casper Ruud Shares How Fatherhood Changed His Life: “It’s a New Challenge”
Casper Ruud hasn't yet won a title since lifting last year's Stockholm Open.
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Casper Ruud (Image via X/Jose Morgado)
- Casper Ruud and fiancée Maria Galligani welcomed their first child, a daughter, on January 30.
- Ruud considered withdrawing from the Australian Open to support Galligani during the uncertain birth date.
- He expressed that fatherhood is a new challenge that positively changes life, looking forward to spending more time with his daughter as she grows.
On January 30 this year, Casper Ruud and fiancée Maria Galligani welcomed their first child, a daughter. The couple announced the pregnancy last September.
Because of the uncertainty surrounding his daughter’s birth date, Ruud was ready to withdraw from the Australian Open to be with Galligani. But he didn’t have to pull out before his defeat (to Ben Shelton in the fourth round).
Ruud is in Madrid for the fourth Masters 1000 of the season. The defending champion first dismantled Jaume Munar in straight sets before he knocked out Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to schedule his career’s sixth meeting against two-time Grand Slam finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas. After his third-round win, BB Tennis asked the Norwegian ace how fatherhood changed his life.
Yeah, definitely, it changes your life for sure… It’s only for the better, it’s great, it’s a new sort of challenge, it’s taking care of a human or a person for many, many years to come.
Ruud, the winner of 14 singles titles from 26 finals, has yet to reach a final this year. Last year, he made three title clashes, losing the Dallas Open to Denis Shapovalov and winning the Madrid Open and the Stockholm Open by defeating Jack Draper and Ugo Humbert, respectively.
The beginning of your baby’s life, it is not that much I find the father can contribute to. We don’t have milk, and we cannot feed them in this way. They sleep a lot, they eat a lot, so it’s not like there isn’t that much I could do at the beginning. But as she gets older, starts walking, have more personality, then I look forward to spending even more time and have them travel to tournaments, it is just great.
Casper Ruud added
Ruud has won 12 of his 14 singles titles on clay. The Madrid Open victory last year was his first triumph in a Masters 1000 tournament.
Casper Ruud achieved a feat that not even Carlos Alcaraz can match
Before arriving in Madrid, Casper Ruud was forced to withdraw from the Barcelona Open due to a calf injury he suffered during his round of 16 match against Felix Auger-Aliassime at the Monte-Carlo Masters. After clinching his opening-round win, Ruud recorded his 133rd victory on clay since the start of the 2020 season.
Not even Alcaraz, the winner of 11 clay-court titles, has reached the feat. The two-time Roland Garros champion, in fact, is in second place, having won 108 matches since the 2020 season.
Alcaraz, the two-time champion in Madrid, is not competing at the moment. He injured his wrist while playing at the Barcelona Open, forcing him to withdraw from his second-round match against Tomas Machac.
The Spaniard has skipped the tournament for the second consecutive year; last year, an injury forced him to withdraw. Alcaraz has so far played three finals this year.
After winning the Australian Open by defeating Novak Djokovic, the 22-year-old continued his winning ways by defeating Arthur Fils in the final of the Qatar Open. He failed to reach the final of the Indian Wells Masters and the Miami Open and, in fact, suffered a third-round exit in the latter event.
Later at the Monte-Carlo Masters, he failed to defend his title, losing the final to his arch-rival Jannik Sinner in straight sets. Because of his defeat, the Murcia native also lost his No.1 ranking to the South Tyrol native.
Because of his injury, the seven-time Grand Slam champion will also be skipping the Italian Open and the Roland Garros, where he competed last year. In both tournaments, he went past Sinner last year.
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