There was some controversy during the first semifinal of the Italian Open even before the first point was played. Luciano Darderi was criticized on social media for his faux pas during his pre-match walk onto the court ahead of his final four clash against Casper Ruud.
Luciano Darderi Criticized For Ignoring Child Mascot At Italian Open
Darderi and Ruud walked out onto the center court at the Foro Italico on Friday for the opening semifinal. Both players were supposed to walk out onto the court with a child mascot. While Ruud did so, Darderi seemingly missed the child mascot and walked past him as he entered the court.
This led to an awkward moment as the mascot followed behind Darderi as he headed to put his gear down on the bench. It is unclear whether the sunglasses he was wearing or pre-match nerves led him to inadvertently ignore the mascot.
Semi-final Friday 😎
Casper Ruud and Luciano Darderi battle for a final spot!#IBI26 pic.twitter.com/8O4Rlb3z1W
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 15, 2026
Some on social media criticized Darderi for this awkward faux pas, while others saw the funny side.
Darderi has had an eventful journey at the Italian Open, overcoming the odds to reach the semifinals. Backed by the vociferous Italian crowd, the 24-year-old defeated Tommy Paul in the third round, before saving four match points and upsetting second seed Alexander Zverev in the fourth.
The Italian then pulled off another impressive performance in the quarterfinals to end the run of the in-form Rafael Jódar.
Making his first semifinal appearance at an ATP Masters 1000 tournament, Darderi had another unusual moment during the first set. He had a cup of espresso delivered to him by a ballkid during a changeover break. He also had some mid-match espresso during his quarterfinal against Jódar, which boosted his energy as the match lasted until 2 a.m. local time.
Espresso Delivery ☕️ #IBI26 pic.twitter.com/c03Mfr8caz
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 15, 2026
Darderi is a clay-court specialist with five ATP Tour titles on the red dirt. Most of his success so far has come in South America, but he has also made his mark on home soil during the Italian Open.
The first semifinal of the Italian Open was suspended due to rain, with Ruud leading Darderi 4-1 in the first set at the time of this writing. Play was suspended at 4:05 p.m. local time (10:05 a.m. ET), and was not due to resume till at least 6 p.m. local time (12 p.m. ET).
