Casper Ruud credited his baby daughter for being his good-luck charm after his impressive run at the Italian Open. The Norwegian fought valiantly in Rome at the ATP Masters 1000 before becoming the latest player to fall to Jannik Sinner in the final.
Casper Ruud Gets Emotional About Baby Daughter After Italian Open Final
Ruud once again displayed his clay-court prowess at the Italian Open as he enjoyed a dominant run to the final. During the post-match trophy ceremony, the beaten finalist credited his partner and his baby daughter for the support they have given him.
The 27-year-old was visibly emotional as he thanked them and hailed his daughter as his lucky charm at the Italian Open, revealing that they had brought her to Rome for the tournament.
“I’d like to thank my own team, behind there. It’s a bit hard to talk and look at them. It’s been a little bit of an interesting year for me on and off the court. Very good year off the court. My fiancée and I had a daughter earlier in the year. We brought her here to Rome,” Ruud said during the post-match ceremony.
“She’s been a very good-luck charm for us. We’ll try again to bring her next year and see if we can win a tournament for her. It was a very good time for us,” he added.
Ruud also said last week that becoming a father has been “life-changing” for him, and added that his daughter never fails to bring a smile to his face. The tennis star and his fiancée, who have been together since 2018, welcomed their baby daughter on January 30.
His daughter’s birth coincided with the Australian Open semifinal between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev, which Ruud said made for an “intense day.”
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Meanwhile, Ruud will enjoy a significant rankings boost despite suffering a 6-4, 6-4 defeat to Sinner in the final of the Italian Open. He will receive 650 ranking points, which will take him eight places up to 17th in the ATP Rankings when they are updated on Monday.
A two-time finalist at the French Open, Ruud will now have his sights set on making another deep run at Rolland Garros. If he continues to perform as he did in Rome, he will certainly be one of the contenders at the second Grand Slam of the year. The 2026 French Open will get underway on May 24.
