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Casper Ruud dove into the pool with the ball kids as he partook in the ceremonious water splash post his title triumph at the 2024 Barcelona Open.
Ruud finally won his first title above the ATP 250 level at the Barcelona Open. The Norwegian entered the tournament as the third seed and kicked off his run with a win against Alexandre Muller in the opening round.
He followed it up with wins over Jordan Thompson and Matteo Arnaldi. After winning a hard-fought first set in the tiebreaker, Ruud defeated Tomas Martin Etcheverry to set up the summit clash with Stefanos Tsitsipas, a rematch of the Monte-Carlo Masters final.
The Norwegian didn't get off to a great start, he was broken by the Greek in the opening game of the match. However, he bounced back to claim the opening set before winning the match 7-5, 6-3, and capturing the 11th ATP title of his career. The 25-year-old didn't drop a single set in the entire title run.
It is a tradition for the winner of the Barcelona Open every year to partake in the ceremonious water splash and keeping up with the tradition, Ruud dove into the pool with ball kids. Here is the video posted by Tennis TV's account on X (formerly Twitter)
"Rafael Nadal court is special to me as I looked up to him all my childhood" - Casper Ruud
Casper Ruud won his first ATP 500 title at the Barcelona Open but there was something more special for the Norwegian in this victory.
Barcelona Open named its center court 'Pista Rafael Nadal' in honor of the Spaniard who won at Barcelona a record 12- times. Ruud, who looked up to Nadal all his life won the title at the Pista Rafael Nadal making this victory more special for him.
During the post-match interview, the Norwegian said that he was happy to win his first ATP 500 title in Barcelona and said that this victory was special to him as he managed this win on the court named after Nadal, who Ruud watched play as a 13-year-old in Barcelona.
"Super happy to do it here in Barcelona, in front of a packed stadium today. And Rafa Nadal court is special to me as I looked up to him all my childhood and came here myself as a 13-year-old boy to watch him and the others play here, so a great feeling."
Casper Ruud is slated to play at the Madrid Open next.
