Latest news with #CajaMagica
New York Times
04-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Casper Ruud beats Jack Draper to win Madrid Open, his first ATP 1,000 title
After two hours and 28 minutes on the court in the Spanish capital, Casper Ruud smashed a forehand winner up the line to move within one point of the Madrid Open title and let out an extended roar of effort and delight. One point later, another forehand in the same direction cannoned off Jack Draper's racket, and Ruud had his first-ever ATP 1,000 title. Advertisement The Norwegian beat Draper 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 to crown a week in which the tennis fire he said he had been missing truly returned, as much as it ever does for one of the coolest players on the ATP Tour. Ruud turned the Madrid Open back into a clay-court tournament just as Draper looked set to win it by disregarding what was under foot entirely, absorbing the British player's barrage of incendiary groundstrokes and spreading him across every corner of the Caja Magica's red dirt. 'Jack had been playing unbelievable all year … I knew if I didn't bring my AA-plus game, I would be whooped around the court,' Ruud said when it was over. Draper served for the first set at 5-4, but played two two low-energy service games to first give Ruud a lifeline and then to concede the set. Draper fumed at himself during the set break, astounded by his flatness at a crucial time — as he had every right to be after sweeping all before him in previous rounds. The Brit won most of his matches at the event using intelligently destructive tennis. Madrid's elevation makes it more hospitable to aggression than other clay-court events on the circuit, and Draper used that — and the extra bounce the altitude gives his high-revolution forehand — to keep his opponents on their heels. Ruud, however, was able to minimize Draper's ability to play hard-court tennis on brick dust, except for the latter part of the second set. He picked his patterns, withstanding Draper's attempts to rush his backhand and profiting from attacking the Brit's forehand when he could take the initiative. Both men escaped tight service games at the top of the third set, before Ruud secured the decisive break for a 4-2 lead. He never looked troubled after that, easing through the last few games until he had his arms aloft in celebration of the biggest title of his career. Advertisement The result sees Ruud reenter the top 10, while Draper still achieves a career-high ranking of No. 5 in the world, moving ahead of Novak Djokovic. Next is Rome, with more clay and lower elevation. Don't expect Ruud to change his cruising altitude for anything.
Washington Post
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
With help from painkillers, Ruud beats Cerundolo to reach Madrid Open final
MADRID — With the help of painkillers, Casper Ruud overcame a rib ailment to defeat Francisco Cerundolo in straight sets and reach the Madrid Open final on Friday. Ruud received treatment on his rib three games into the match and went on to win 6-4, 7-5 on the Caja Magica center court.
Mint
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Mint
Alcaraz blames demanding sport for Madrid withdrawal but should be fit for French Open
Madrid, Apr 25 (AP) Home-crowd favorite Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the Madrid Open on Thursday because of muscle injuries, saying he didn't want to risk making things worse before the French Open. The third-ranked Spaniard blamed his injuries on the 'really tight" schedule that is part of the 'demanding sport' of tennis. Alcaraz said he has not fully recovered from the upper leg ailment that bothered him during the Barcelona Open final last Sunday. He also said he has a left leg injury. His first appearance at the Caja Magica in Madrid was scheduled for Saturday. Alcaraz is a two-time champion in Madrid, having won in 2022 and 2023. He was the second seed this week and in the same half of the draw as Novak Djokovic. Alcaraz said he did 'everything possible to play' but had to make the 'tough decision' to withdraw after listening to his body and talking to doctors. 'Madrid is one of the special tournaments for me, it's a tournament that I enjoy, I get to play in front of my fans, it's one of the first tournaments I attended when I was a kid,' Alcaraz said. 'These types of decisions are not easy to make but sometimes you have to think about your health and about what is important. A Grand Slam is a Grand Slam. If I play here, I could make the injuries worse and stop for several months and that's not worth it.' He said he felt 'secure' about recovering in time to play next month at Roland Garros, where he is the defending champion. He won the Roland Garros final last year against Alexander Zverev, who has just leapfrogged the Spaniard to No. 2 in the world after winning in Munich last week. 'I'm not really worried about it,' Alcaraz said. 'I believe it's going to take one week, one week and a half, two weeks maximum, but I won't have doubts about coming back and moving 100% again.' He said he plans to play in Rome ahead of the French Open, which begins on May 25. 'My mindset is to do everything it takes to be a hundred percent for Rome. I will do some tests at the beginning of next week just to see how it's improved, and from that let's see how it's going to be the next days,' he said. 'My hope is to play in Rome. If not, next tournament is Roland Garros for me. So I will try to be on court as soon as possible.' Alcaraz needed treatment on his leg during his straight-set loss to Holger Rune in the Barcelona final. He had not practiced in Madrid yet, and said this week that he felt 'fine' but was waiting on medical test results to determine whether he would play. Alcaraz, who will turn 22 on May 5, won in Monte Carlo to start his clay-court campaign and on a nine-match winning run until the Barcelona final. He said he later also felt pain in a muscle in his left leg. Alcaraz vowed to 'come back stronger' but complained of the tennis schedule. 'Tennis is really a demanding sport,' he said. "Playing week after week, so many matches in a row, and you have to heal your body sometimes and take difficult decisions." The four-time Grand Slam champion has a 24-5 record this year. In addition to Monte Carlo, he also won in Rotterdam on hard court in February. 'The schedule is really tight, really difficult tournaments week after week, and sometimes you have to think about yourself sometimes, and make the right decisions as to your health.' (AP) AM AM AM First Published: 25 Apr 2025, 09:54 AM IST
Japan Today
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Japan Today
Alcaraz blames 'demanding sport' for Madrid withdrawal but should be fit for French Open
tennis By TALES AZZONI Home-crowd favorite Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the Madrid Open on Thursday because of muscle injuries, saying he didn't want to risk making things worse before the French Open. The third-ranked Spaniard blamed his injuries on the 'really tight" schedule that is part of the 'demanding sport' of tennis. Alcaraz said he has not fully recovered from the upper leg ailment that bothered him during the Barcelona Open final last Sunday. He also said he has a left leg injury. His first appearance at the Caja Magica in Madrid was scheduled for Saturday. Alcaraz is a two-time champion in Madrid, having won in 2022 and 2023. He was the second seed this week and in the same half of the draw as Novak Djokovic. Alcaraz said he did 'everything possible to play' but had to make the 'tough decision' to withdraw after listening to his body and talking to doctors. 'Madrid is one of the special tournaments for me, it's a tournament that I enjoy, I get to play in front of my fans, it's one of the first tournaments I attended when I was a kid,' Alcaraz said. 'These types of decisions are not easy to make but sometimes you have to think about your health and about what is important. A Grand Slam is a Grand Slam. If I play here, I could make the injuries worse and stop for several months and that's not worth it.' He said he felt 'secure' about recovering in time to play next month at Roland Garros, where he is the defending champion. He won the Roland Garros final last year against Alexander Zverev, who has just leapfrogged the Spaniard to No. 2 in the world after winning in Munich last week. 'I'm not really worried about it,' Alcaraz said. 'I believe it's going to take one week, one week and a half, two weeks maximum, but I won't have doubts about coming back and moving 100% again.' He said he plans to play in Rome ahead of the French Open, which begins on May 25. 'My mindset is to do everything it takes to be a hundred percent for Rome. I will do some tests at the beginning of next week just to see how it's improved, and from that let's see how it's going to be the next days,' he said. 'My hope is to play in Rome. If not, next tournament is Roland Garros for me. So I will try to be on court as soon as possible.' Alcaraz needed treatment on his leg during his straight-set loss to Holger Rune in the Barcelona final. He had not practiced in Madrid yet, and said this week that he felt 'fine' but was waiting on medical test results to determine whether he would play. Alcaraz, who will turn 22 on May 5, won in Monte Carlo to start his clay-court campaign and on a nine-match winning run until the Barcelona final. He said he later also felt pain in a muscle in his left leg. Alcaraz vowed to 'come back stronger' but complained of the tennis schedule. 'Tennis is really a demanding sport,' he said. "Playing week after week, so many matches in a row, and you have to heal your body sometimes and take difficult decisions." The four-time Grand Slam champion has a 24-5 record this year. In addition to Monte Carlo, he also won in Rotterdam on hard court in February. 'The schedule is really tight, really difficult tournaments week after week, and sometimes you have to think about yourself sometimes, and make the right decisions as to your health.' © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
National Post
24-04-2025
- Sport
- National Post
Carlos Alcaraz withdraws from Madrid Open but expects to be fit for French Open
Home-crowd favorite Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the Madrid Open on Thursday because of muscle injuries, saying he didn't want to risk making things worse ahead of the French Open. Article content Article content The third-ranked Spaniard said he has not fully recovered from the upper leg ailment that bothered him during the Barcelona Open final last Sunday. He also said he has a left leg injury. His first appearance at the Caja Magica in Madrid was scheduled for Saturday. Article content Alcaraz is a two-time champion in Madrid, having won in 2022 and 2023. He was the second seed this week and in the same half of the draw as Novak Djokovic. Article content Alcaraz said he did 'everything possible to play' but had to make the 'tough decision' to withdraw after listening to his body and talking to doctors. Article content 'Madrid is one of the special tournaments for me, it's a tournament that I enjoy, I get to play in front of my fans, it's one of the first tournaments I attended when I was a kid,' Alcaraz said. 'These types of decisions are not easy to make but sometimes you have to think about your health and about what is important. A Grand Slam is a Grand Slam. If I play here, I could make the injuries worse and stop for several months and that's not worth it.' Article content He said he felt 'secure' about recovering in time to play next month at Roland Garros, where he is the defending champion. He won the Roland Garros final last year against Alexander Zverev, who has just leapfrogged the Spaniard to No. 2 in the world after winning in Munich last week. Article content Alcaraz said he will also try to play in Rome ahead of the French Open, but wasn't 100% sure if he would be able to make it. Article content Alcaraz needed treatment on his leg during his straight-set loss to Holger Rune in the Barcelona final. He had not practiced in Madrid yet, and said this week that he felt 'fine' but was waiting on medical test results to determine whether he would play. Article content Alcaraz, who will turn 22 on May 5, won in Monte Carlo to start his clay-court campaign and on a nine-match winning run until the Barcelona final. He said he later also felt pain in a muscle in his left leg.
