Casper Ruud, the Perseverant Champion of Madrid

Casper Ruud has finally secured the title he had been chasing for so long, one that had eluded him on numerous occasions. The Norwegian, who had lost the six major finals he had contested before this Sunday, clinched the most significant trophy of his career by defeating Jack Draper 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 in the final of the Madrid Masters 1000.

Ruud, known on the circuit for always falling just short of success, finally achieved the glory he so deserved. The Norwegian had lost the three Grand Slam finals he had played, two at Roland Garros against Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal, and one at the US Open against Carlos Alcaraz, where he was also one set away from becoming the world number one. Additionally, he had lost his two previous Masters 1000 finals, in Miami 2022 against Alcaraz and in Monte Carlo 2024 against Stefanos Tsitsipas, as well as the 2023 ATP Finals against Djokovic.

With this track record, it was logical that the bets were on Draper, one of the most exciting players of the season, already ranked as the second-best of the year after Alcaraz and winner of a Masters 1000 this season in Indian Wells. However, Ruud never stopped believing. He faced everything against him in the first set, where the Briton, a great server with a powerful forehand that was working well here, had a 5-3 lead to take the advantage in the final. Ruud knew that in a power game, he had little chance against Draper and focused on exploiting his strengths, namely endurance and returning more balls than anyone else, gradually wearing down Draper, who quickly let the 5-3 lead slip to lose the set 5-7.

It was a tough blow for the young Londoner, who had not lost a single set in these two weeks in Madrid and now needed a comeback if he wanted to claim a second Masters 1000 and prove that he is also dangerous on clay. He showed this in the second set, where he was better in the crucial moments, forcing a third set that was celebrated at the Manolo Santana Stadium. The tournament would end in the best possible way.

And Ruud had that extra bit of stamina. Despite the Briton resisting the initial attacks, saving three break points at 1-1, Ruud managed to break at 2-2 and held on until the end. Any hint of nerves about being on the verge of the greatest reward of his life, when serving for the title at 5-4, Ruud dispelled with two brutal parallel forehands. The first to create a match point, the second to confirm it and look at his bench with a face that said, "I told you, I would do it."

"It's a dream I've had since I was a child. I knew I would need my best tennis today, and luckily I played a great match. Now it's just about continuing," admitted the Norwegian, who succeeds Andrey Rublev in the record books and will appear on Monday's ranking as the new world number seven, climbing eight positions from the start of the tournament. "We tried and failed several times, but we stayed together and finally achieved it. Thank you all for believing in me," added the student of the Rafael Nadal Academy.