Casper Ruud Prioritizes Pregnant Fiancee Maria Galligani Over Australian Open: “My Daughter Could Come Home Anytime Now”

Former World No.2 Casper Ruud and his fiancee Maria Galligani got engaged in November 2024.

Casper Ruud Prioritizes Pregnant Fiancee Maria Galligani Over Australian Open: “My Daughter Could Come Home Anytime Now”

Casper Ruud and Maria Galligani (Image via Instagram/Casper Ruud)

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Casper Ruud is in Auckland for the ASB Classic. His fiancee, Maria Galligani, on the other hand, is in Norway and is pregnant with their first child, a daughter.

He will kick-start his campaign on January 14 against Fabian Marozsan or Gael Monfils. Uncertainty now looms over Ruud’s Australian Open participation, as he will be flying away to Norway for the birth of his child.

One of the biggest moments will be welcoming my child back home. Honestly, [my daughter] could come any time now. Hopefully, I get to stay for the rest of the tournament. But you never know. I might get a call and be on the plane home out of here.

Casper Ruud said during his pre-tournament press conference in Auckland

Ruud and Galligani announced the pregnancy in September last year. They have been together since 2018 and got engaged in November 2024.

It’s no short trip back home. So hopefully she stays in for a few weeks, and I can be there for the birth. Later in the year, we will have our wedding and celebrate our marriage.

Casper Ruud added

Ruud, a three-time Grand Slam finalist, has never reached the quarterfinals of the Melbourne Slam, making the fourth round just once, in 2021. Last year, his run ended in the second round. Ruud, in fact, failed to progress to the third round in the Majors last year, skipping the French Open, where he made back-to-back finals in 2022 and 2023, losing both to Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, respectively.

So far in his career, Ruud has clinched 14 titles from 26 finals, most of which he lifted in ATP 250 events. His career’s first ATP 500 title did not come before the 2024 Barcelona Open, where he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Last year, Ruud clinched his career’s first Big Title by going past Jack Draper at the Madrid Open. Apart from Madrid, the Norwegian ace also made the finals of the Dallas Open and the Stockholm Open, losing them to Denis Shapovalov and Ugo Humbert, respectively.

Apart from the Madrid Open, the 27-year-old has made more Masters 1000 finals: at the 2022 Miami Open and the 2024 Monte Carlo Masters, losing them to Carlos Alcaraz and Tsitsipas, respectively.

Casper Ruud on United Cup versus Davis Cup

Prior to the ASB Classic, Casper Ruud participated in the United Cup, where Norway failed to book a spot in the quarterfinals after losing two group-stage matches. Placed in Group D, the Norwegians first suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Australia, following which, the Czech Republic downed them 3-0.

Casper Ruud
Casper Ruud (Image via X/Jose Morgado)

Ruud lost and won one match. He defeated Australia’s Alex de Minaur but failed to produce the same result against Jakub Mensik. In the pre-tournament press conference, Ruud was asked to compare the United Cup and the Davis Cup.

I mean, it doesn’t have the same history as Davis Cup, that’s for sure. It’s a cool initiative. It’s been fun to play. When you play 25 regular tournaments, as it is during the year, why not play something else for once? It’s a fun event. Also, being able to share it with Norwegian teammates is fun. Getting together as a team is really nice. It’s a long trip for us, but I think we all enjoy it. I get two guaranteed tough matches at the beginning of the year, which is great. I hope I can play well and get some momentum to start the year.

Casper Ruud said

The first edition of the United Cup was held in 2023, while the first Davis Cup event was held in 1990. Norway have yet to win either of the two trophies.

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