Imago
Image Credits: Imago
Imago
Image Credits: Imago
Can anyone overpower Jannik Sinner at the moment? Well, the answer is a big no by the looks of it. Ask Casper Ruud, who was humbled by the Italian powerhouse in the quarterfinals of the Italian Open. Sinner has been a force to reckon with on his home turf, putting hardly any foot wrong. A couple of days ago, he blanked Ruud 6-0, 6-1 in a lopsided victory to progress through. Subsequently, he also had a win over Tommy Paul to set up the summit clash against Carlos Alcaraz. As Ruud congratulated Sinner for his victory, it invited a hilarious response from Taylor Fritz.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Despite the loss, it was a good journey for Ruud in Rome. The reigning Madrid Open champion took to his official Instagram handle to share a few snapshots from his journey in Rome. Additionally, he wrote, “Arrivederci, Roma. Not the result I wanted, but the love from the crowd made it worth it. Congrats to @janniksin and his team.” However, Fritz was quick to make a dig at Ruud’s result against Sinner as he sarcastically commented, “You almost had him.”
View this post on Instagram
Further, Sinner took just over an hour to defeat Ruud in a one-sided match. The Italian star was making a comeback after serving his doping suspension, but it never looked like he was away from the sport. Sinner didn’t face any break points in the match and converted six of the nine break point opportunities on Ruud’s serve to seal the contest.
Top Stories
Meanwhile, Ruud and Fritz share a wonderful bond on and off the court. Although the two have an intriguing rivalry, they are good friends and often train together. Moreover, this wasn’t the first time that Fritz poked fun at Ruud publicly. Back in 2022, he did a similar thing, which burst the tennis world into laughter.
When Taylor Fritz poked fun at Casper Ruud after he won a well-deserved award
Back in December 2022, Ruud clinched his maiden ATP award. He won the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award, which is voted for by the ATP players. The award is given to the player who has shown amazing sportsmanship on and off the court, and Ruud was chosen by his fellow players in this regard.
With this, he also broke the monopoly of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for this award, as the two legends had won this award continuously since 2004. It was a wonderful moment for Ruud, and he took to social media to celebrate it. However, he received a rather hilarious comment from Fritz, who wrote, “Definitely deserved @casperruud guy gives points away for free.”
Meanwhile, Fritz wasn’t the only one who poked fun at Ruud. Even the legend, Rafael Nadal, commented, “No way!!! They don’t know you!!! Many congrats, you deserve it 100%! Super happy for you!”
Fast forward to 2025, and Ruud is as humble as he was in 2022. After a disappointing end to his campaign in Rome, Ruud will look to make amends at Roland Garros, which starts in a few days. Can Ruud dig deep at the French Open? Let us know your views in the comments below.
Written by
Edited by
Janainah Fazlin Anam