Casper Ruud has uncertainty hanging over him ahead of his Madrid Open title defence.
Ruud won the Madrid Open last year, beating Jack Draper in the final to claim the biggest title of his career so far.
The Norwegian has produced some of his best career results on clay, but Ruud had a difficult start to this part of the season this year.
Ruud retired from his match against Felix Auger-Aliassime at the Monte Carlo Masters due to a calf injury, which then forced him to withdraw from the Barcelona Open, and he has now provided a fitness update ahead of his Madrid Open title defence.
Casper Ruud admits he has never felt a pain like he did in Monte Carlo
Ruud spoke to Tennis TV ahead of his first match at the Madrid Open, where he was asked about his physical condition.
The three-time Grand Slam finalist admitted that he had never felt a pain like he did in Monte Carlo before, with Ruud’s injury worse than he first realised.
However, after having a week to recover, Ruud confirmed that he was feeling ready to compete again.
“It was hard to feel, hard to know what it was, because it is the first time I’ve felt something like this pain or instant pain in my calf,” said Ruud. “I was kind of slightly worried, but also maybe thinking it was cramp, like the muscle just cramped up a bit, was a pretty intense match with some long rallies so maybe just cramped up a bit, but it turned out it wasn’t just a cramp.
“It didn’t really get any better as I tried on for a couple of games and I decided to stop before it got too bad. Took some exams or some pictures of it and it was just a small little strain in the calf, but it felt like the muscle just kind of, not imploded but went together and I really, really felt it in the calf.
“It was unfortunate I couldn’t play Barcelona, needed some days of rest and when you get a small strain or a pull or rupture in the muscle you have to kind of take it easy for days and then you have to start training again, and make sure it grows and heals little by little, day by day and it’s been going really well.
“I had a good rehab, I went a week to Mallorca and focused on a lot of physical stuff and some tennis, and I’m here in Madrid and ready to play, so I’m very happy that I was able to recover fast and be ready already in Madrid.”
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Ruud was then asked a follow-up question about whether he is surprised by how quickly he has recovered from this injury, as he revealed that at one point he even struggled to walk.
“Kind of,” answered Ruud. “I mean the days after it was pretty tough to like even walk up the stairs, down the stairs and I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to come here at all.
“So, it went a little bit faster than normal when I started to do more exercises and getting the kind of the blood flow and these things to the muscles. You know, muscle injuries are the ones that heal faster, which is a good sign, and I knew that.
“I was slightly worried the day after it had happened in Monte Carlo, but all in all happy to be back quite fast. Just needed to skip one tournament and that is not the end of the world.”
Who is Casper Ruud playing in the first match of his Madrid Open title defence?
Ruud will now hope to return to both fitness and winning ways at the Madrid Open, where he is the 12th seed this year.
The defending champion should be feeling confident ahead of his first match in Madrid, as Ruud faces Spanish player Jaume Munar.
This will be an eighth meeting between Ruud and Munar, with the Norwegian dominating their head-to-head with a 6-1 lead, including a win at the Australian Open earlier this year.
| Year | Tournament | Result |
| 2018 | Swedish Open (R32) | Ruud beat Munar, 6(7)-7 6-4 6-0 |
| 2022 | Swiss Open (QF) | Ruud beat Munar, 7-6(3) 7-6(4) |
| 2022 | Japan Open (R32) | Munar beat Ruud, 6-3 6-3 |
| 2025 | Australian Open (R128) | Ruud beat Munar, 6-3 1-6 7-5 2-6 6-1 |
| 2025 | Dallas Open (SF) | Ruud beat Munar, 6-2 2-6 7-6(4) |
| 2025 | Italian Open (R16) | Ruud beat Munar, 6-3 6-4 |
| 2026 | Australian Open (R64) | Ruud beat Munar, 6-3 7-5 6-4 |
Ruud will hope to win his fifth consecutive match against Munar when they face off at the Madrid Open on Saturday, April 25.
If he is able to beat Munar, then Ruud is confirmed to play another Spanish player in either Alejandro Davidovich Fokina or Pablo Carreno Busta.
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