Jack Draper’s breakthrough run on the clay courts of Madrid was halted at the final hurdle as he fell to Casper Ruud in a gripping three-set battle, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4. Ruud, the 14th seed, clinched his first Masters 1000 title in a career-defining moment after a series of near-misses in major finals, securing his place among the best in the game.
Ruud, a two-time French Open finalist, had previously suffered defeats in six other significant finals, including the 2022 and 2023 French Open finals and the 2022 US Open. However, the 26-year-old Norwegian finally broke his duck in the biggest tournaments, much to his relief. After a tough and emotional week in Madrid, Ruud expressed his joy and relief: “It’s a mix of somewhat of a relief and happiness and just pure joy,” he said. “I know, based on the last years that I’ve had on tour, how tough it is to do well at the biggest tournaments, and I’ve never been able to get over the finish line as a champion, but today I was able to.”
Draper’s defeat was a tough pill to swallow, considering the quality of his performance throughout the tournament. The British 22-year-old had entered the final with high hopes, especially after leading 5-3 in the first set. However, Ruud responded with a four-game winning streak to take the opener, and although Draper fought back to force a final set, the Norwegian’s clay-court experience and consistency saw him over the line.
The loss was a bitter disappointment for Draper, but it did not overshadow the remarkable strides he had made over the past two weeks. Before Madrid, his best results on clay had been a pair of quarter-finals at ATP 250 events, and he had never beaten a top-30 player on the surface. However, Draper’s performance in Madrid proved his belief in his ability to succeed on clay. “People say: ‘Oh, I’m not very good on the clay,’ whereas I knew I was good on the clay,” Draper explained. “This week has shown that, and it’s shown it to myself, shown it to others.”
Despite the loss, Draper can take solace in his newfound status as one of the sport’s top contenders on every surface. His performance earned him a career-high ATP ranking of No. 5, and he sits second in the ATP race for 2025, showcasing his consistency across both hard and clay courts. Draper, who won the prestigious Indian Wells in March, has shown he has the ability to secure a major title. Reflecting on his early season, he stated, “I’m really proud of the way I’ve been the first few months of this season. There’s so much more to come from myself. I feel like there’s still areas of my game that I can really improve.”
Ruud’s victory marked another milestone in his career, as he extended his remarkable record on clay. With 125 wins and 12 titles on the surface since 2020, he remains one of the most dominant clay-court players of his generation. Despite the triumph, Ruud admitted his struggles in major finals. His career record in such finals stood at 1-6 before this victory. However, he approached this win with a mature perspective, acknowledging that while he had often faced opponents who were simply better than him in those previous finals, he had learned from those experiences. “I’ve played players that were better than me and I’ve tried to learn from that,” Ruud said, “and think that one day there will come another opportunity and maybe I can seize it, and I guess that was the key to the victory today.”
Both players showed tremendous character throughout the tournament, with Draper continuing his rise in men’s tennis and Ruud finally securing his first Masters 1000 title. Their performances in Madrid will undoubtedly leave lasting impressions and mark them as serious contenders in the coming seasons.
