The Norwegian won his first Barcelona Open title by defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final.
Norwegian tennis player Casper Ruud said on Sunday, after defeating Greek player Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final of the Barcelona Open (7-5, 6-3), that he felt “mentally and physically ready” to take his “revenge” after losing to the Greek in Monte Carlo (6-1, 6-4).
“The tactics were a bit different. I played more aggressively on the return and stayed closer to the baseline because last week in Monte Carlo he had too much time to volley and I wasn’t able to respond with enough power and depth to pressure him,” Ruud said, according to Sport.
Ruud mentioned that this was “a good decision” as it helped him “play faster and more aggressively” against Tsitsipas, who “is very dangerous and difficult to beat when he controls the game.”
The Scandinavian player explained that he tried “not to think too much about it being a final” and confessed that he had “a good feeling”. He also emphasized that, although he did not start the match well, he was able to “react and play very well towards the end of the first set and during the second.”
Furthermore, Ruud hopes that this victory, which he described as “a very important step” in his career, might mark “the difference between winning or losing” other finals in the future. “It’s something to build on to have more confidence in future big finals,” he considered.
“This is the biggest title of my career and it means a lot to me. It’s something I have been seeking for a long time, as I had never before won an ATP 500. I had reached some finals but always fell a little short,” he commented.
The world’s sixth-ranked player highlighted that the effectiveness of his down-the-line backhand, a shot that last year he did not perform “well enough,” was one of the keys to the match: “It may not be my most typical shot, but today it worked well and earned me some important points.”
“This year I am trying to develop my game in many ways to try and surprise. In the last six months, I am making strides in the right direction with my play and I am glad it is having an effect,” he added.
