Ruud Dethroned in Barcelona: "I Did What I Could, But It Wasn't Enough"

This Friday, Casper Ruud suffered a tough quarterfinal exit at the ATP 500 tournament in Barcelona. The defending champion in Catalonia was eliminated by Holger Rune (6-4, 6-2) and will drop out of the top 10 on Monday when the new ATP rankings are released.

Speaking at a press conference after his defeat, the two-time Roland-Garros finalist (2022 and 2023) reflected on the Dane’s performance and his own goals for the clay-court season, as he currently competes on his favorite surface.

"Holger (Rune) was better than me in every aspect. There wasn’t much he could have done better—he was playing at a higher level than me. I did what I could, but it wasn’t enough. He put a lot of pressure on me with his returns, and his backhand hurt me badly. It was impressive," he said about his opponent after the match.

"During the clay season, my goal is to reach the quarterfinals in every tournament I play. I couldn’t do it in Monte-Carlo, and I couldn’t defend my title here. Last year, I had good results in these two tournaments, then lost in Madrid and Rome.

I want to be more consistent in the coming weeks and months. The goal is to make the quarterfinals in the upcoming clay tournaments. I think it’s an ambitious goal because, if I achieve it, it means I’ll be among the best in the tournament. We’ll see how things go in Madrid," he concluded, as reported by Tennis World Italia in recent hours.