Casper Ruud continues to impress in Madrid as he now prepares for his semi-final match.
The Norwegian star travelled to Madrid low on confidence, having failed to reach the last four of the Monte-Carlo Masters or Barcelona Open, despite reaching the final of both tournaments in 2024.
Bouncing back in the Spanish capital, Ruud knocked out Arthur Rinderknech, Sebastian Korda, and Taylor Fritz on his way to the quarterfinals.
There, Ruud beat Daniil Medvedev to advance to his 30th tour-level semi-final on a clay court.
Following his big win, Ruud explained what usually happens when he practises with the Russian world number ten.
Casper Ruud says he shares wins with Daniil Medvedev in practice despite never beating him on the ATP Tour
Ruud dominated Medvedev in Madrid, 6-3, 7-5, securing his first career victory over the 29-year-old.
During his post-match press conference, the Norwegian reflected on his rivalry with Medvedev.
“I lost three times to him. I lost on every surface except for clay. Indoor hard court, outdoor hard court, and grass,” said Ruud.
“I was just thinking, please don’t lose on clay because you lose on every surface to him.
“I just tried to use the conditions to my advantage and the surface and approached it like I approach any match, really.
“I mean every match lives its own life, there will be one winner and I was thinking why can’t it be me this time?”
| Match | Surface | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2025 Madrid Open – QF | Clay | Casper Ruud | Daniil Medvedev | 6-3, 7-5 |
| 2021 ATP Finals – SF | Hard | Daniil Medvedev | Casper Ruud | 6-4, 6-2 |
| 2021 Mallorca – QF | Grass | Daniil Medvedev | Casper Ruud | 7-5, 6-1 |
| 2020 ATP Cup – RR | Hard | Daniil Medvedev | Casper Ruud | 6-3, 7-6 |
Ruud then shared what happens when he and Medvedev play together in practice.
“I have obviously practiced with Daniil [Medvedev] throughout the years and sometimes he ends up winning, sometimes I end up winning,” he said.
“I felt like I had beaten him in practice. Why not in the match?
“That’s what I said to myself, and I tried to bring my clay game towards his game, which is a flatter game style, and a more flat shot.
“So I was thinking that over time I hope my clay court game, or my top spin shot, will make it tough for him.”
Ruud’s tactics paid off as he booked his place in the semi-finals of this year’s Madrid Open, where he’ll take on Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo.
Casper Ruud’s head-to-head record against top-ten players on the ATP Tour
Ruud was a feature in the world’s top ten for several years, reaching a career-high ranking of second in 2022.
He has, however, now dropped to 15th in the world, after a slow start to his 2025 campaign.
The 26-year-old has struggled to compete against the very best in men’s tennis and has a winning record against just two players in the world’s top ten.
| Rank | Player | Winning/Losing record v Casper Ruud | Record v Casper Ruud |
| 1 | Jannik Sinner | Winning | 3-0 |
| 2 | Alexander Zverev | Winning | 4-2 |
| 3 | Carlos Alcaraz | Winning | 4-1 |
| 4 | Taylor Fritz | Losing | 1-3 |
| 5 | Novak Djokovic | Winning | 5-1 |
| 6 | Jack Draper | – | – |
| 7 | Alex de Minaur | Winning | 2-0 |
| 8 | Andrey Rublev | Winning | 5-3 |
| 9 | Holger Rune | Losing | 2-6 |
| 10 | Daniil Medvedev | Winning | 3-1 |
The ATP top ten have a combined winning record of 29-17 against Ruud, across 46 ATP Tour matches.
Ruud is currently winning the head-to-head against Fritz (3-1) and Holger Rune (6-2); however, as he enjoys some success against the top players.
A win for Ruud against Cerundolo in the last four would see him return to the top ten, with a title potentially seeing him rise to as high as seventh.
The world number 15 will take on Cerundolo for a place in the Madrid Open final on Friday, May 2.
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