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Casper Ruud has a friend as well as a fan in country music superstar Shania Twain, much to the surprise of tennis fans. The Canadian singer-songwriter attended the Norwegian tennis star's 2022 Swiss Open final in Gstaad and even posed with him for a picture after Ruud clinched the trophy.
Twain took to social media to post her celebratory picture alongside Casper Ruud, even taking the opportunity to congratulate him once again. Ruud won his eighth ATP title on clay and ninth title overall in Gstaad on Sunday, coming back from a set down to beat Matteo Berrettini.
"Spent my Sunday watching Casper Ruud win his second Swiss Open Gstaad! Congratulations my friend, what a result!" Shania Twain tweeted.
There have been many interesting crossovers over the years between tennis stars and movie stars/musicians, among others. However, many tennis fans believe the Ruud-Twain friendship is the most surprising one yet.
"This is even more random than Ben Stiller being a massive Nadal fan. Love it," said a fan reaction on the same.
Interestingly, this is not Twain's first association with tennis. The best-selling female country artist of all time previously performed during the opening ceremony of the 2017 US Open to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the iconic Arthur Ashe Stadium. The Canadian performed some of her biggest hits during the ceremony, including her new songs at the time "Life’s About to Get Good" and "Swingin’ with My Eyes Closed."
Meanwhile, her latest appearance on a tennis court with her friend Ruud led one fan to come up with an interesting idea for a new song by Twain.
"New song idea: Man, I feel like cheering for Casper Ruud -- the remix. How's that sound, Shania Twain?"
Here are some more reactions from tennis fans to Shania Twain's picture with Casper Ruud at the Swiss Open in Gstaad:
Casper Ruud finds inspiration from the careers of Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka
Courtesy of his Swiss Open win, Casper Ruud extended his unbeaten record in ATP matches he has played in Switzerland so far. Ruud has won the last two editions of both the Swiss Open and the Geneva Open, improving his win/loss record in the country to 16-0.
Moments after Sunday's win, the Norwegian spoke about his time in Switzerland, especially how he has gained inspiration from Swiss tennis legends Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka, and how he relates to them.
"I think Switzerland is a country with a lot of history now in tennis, winning a lot of Grand Slams with Roger and Stan the last 18 or 19 years. So it’s been an inspiration to everyone around the world, including myself, that they are able to come from a small country, sort of like Norway. Everything about Switzerland reminds me a little bit about Norway, except that you pay less taxes here," the 23-year-old said.
Ruud is experiencing arguably his best season so far on the ATP Tour. The World No. 6 has won three tour-level titles to his name already this year and has also reached the finals of the Miami Open (lost to Carlos Alcaraz) and his maiden Grand Slam final at the French Open (lost to Rafael Nadal).
The Norwegian will now hope to emulate the form shown during his Miami Open as he heads into the upcoming North American hardcourt swing.
