Ruud after his title: "It's a mix of relief, happiness, and pure joy"
Casper Ruud won his first Masters 1000 title in Madrid this Sunday. It was his sixth final in a major tournament (including Masters 1000 and Grand Slams) and the first one he has won.
In the post-match press conference, he expressed his relief: "It's a mix of relief, happiness, and pure joy.
I know, after these past years on the tour, how tough it is to perform well in the biggest tournaments, and I’ve never managed to cross the finish line as champion—but today, I did it.
So I’m extremely happy and proud, of course, to have stayed focused throughout the tournament and the match.
After losing the second set and the momentum shifting, I bounced back and played, especially very pleased with my last match and proud to have finished it that way. Barcelona didn’t go as well as expected, but I lost to Holger Rune, who went on to win the tournament.
I played incredibly, so it went well. I wasn’t too hard on myself after that loss.
I realized I wasn’t good enough that day, and I came here to train a few days before the tournament started. From the first match, I felt really good with the ball and on the court.
I’m really happy to have bounced back a bit and that my season has taken a very positive turn, so I hope I can keep improving."
The Norwegian will look to continue this positive momentum at the Rome Masters 1000.
Madrid 
Rome 
