Casper Ruud becomes first Top-10 player to win Swiss Open since Roger Federer in 2004
Casper Ruud added yet another feather to his impressive 2022 season, defeating Matteo Berrettini 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-2 on Sunday to claim his second successive Swiss Open title at Gstaad. With the victory, Ruud, who is currently ranked World No. 5, became the first Top-10 player to win the tournament since Roger Federer in 2004.
With his title Casper Ruud becomes the first Top-10 player to claim the title in Gstaad since Roger Federer in 2004.
Although Ruud won the title last year as well, he became a Top-10 player only in September 2021. Back in 2004, Roger Federer got past Igor Andreev to win his first and only title at the Swiss Open when he was 22 -- one year younger than when the Norwegian achieved the feat.
In what was his seventh appearance at the tournament, the 20-time Grand Slam champion registered his first major title win on home soil. The win at Gstaad came just a week after Federer won his second successive Wimbledon title, but the change of surface from grass to clay did little to deter the Swiss mastro.
The player from Basel, who was the World No. 1 at the time, was cheered on by his home crowd throughout the week, and repaid their faith in him by becoming the first Swiss to win the title since Heinz Günthardt in 1980.
"He deserves it, the crowd was going crazy, it gave me chills" - Casper Ruud on the experience he shared with Roger Federer at the 2021 Laver Cup
Casper Ruud was part of Team Europe at last year's Laver Cup, a tournament which was co-founded by Roger Federer. Speaking in an interview afterwards, the Norwegian described how awestruck he was after the crowd cheered endlessly for the 20-time Grand Slam champion when his image came up on the big screen.
"I think I was at 3-1 in the first set [against Reilly Opelka] and I was about to return and they showed him on the screen and everyone went nuts. He deserves it, the crowd was going crazy, it gave me chills. I was in the match mode but still it's something you can't block out from your feelings. Like I said, it gave me chills, it was an extremely fun experience for me and it's great to see him back in a tennis arena," Casper Ruud said.
"Even though he is not playing, he is always a big part of the tennis world and this event. He is one of the guys who made it all happen and started it. He deserved all the cheers he gets from the crowd," he added
Casper Ruud: "It was very fun to see Federer in the stands at the Laver Cup. He deserves every clap and every ovation. He keeps being a very important person in the world of tennis despite he is not playing." 👏
The duo have faced each other only once on the ATP Tour before, with Federer winning the contest in straight sets. Meeting in the third round of the 2019 French Open on the Norwegian's preferred surface, the former World No. 1 raced to a 6-3, 6-1, 7-6(8) win without wasting any time.
With the Swiss gearing up for a return to action later this year, Casper Ruud will be hoping to cross paths with the legend once more and get a shot at avenging his previous loss.