Ruud: "I was nervous in Monte Carlo, I thought too much about the title".

Casper Ruud takes on Stefanos Tsitsipas this Sunday in the final of the ATP 500 tournament in Barcelona. A week after losing to the Greek in the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters 1000 (6-1, 6-4), the Norwegian hopes to have learned the lessons of his defeat so that he can do better this time around.

Casper Ruud: "I think I'll just have to play better than I did in Monte Carlo. I need to play my best tennis against Tsitsipas because he's a fantastic player. He plays very aggressive tennis and he's very comfortable on clay. He's already played the final here several times (2018, 2021, 2023) so he loves playing on this court. I'll need to play my best tennis if I want to win.

Winning this title is the kind of goal I'm pursuing in my career. But last week (in Monte Carlo), I think I thought about it too much in the final, too much about the title. Here, I'm just going to try and enjoy it. Even though it's a final, I don't want to think about it too much.

If you think about all the consequences of the match, the final, winning the title... You can feel nervous and not play your best tennis. I have a feeling that's what happened to me last week in Monte Carlo. So maybe it'll work out better if I take this final like any other match. And I hope I can lift the trophy."