Madrid Champion Reveals Why He’s Hooked on Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek in a Surprising WTA Admission

Five-time slam champion Iga Swiatek’s tennis prowess has always earned her huge recognition from her ATP counterparts. After she clinched a third-straight Roland Garros trophy, defeating Jasmine Paolini last year, Carlos Alcaraz couldn’t resist complimenting her. “Simply amazing! Congratulations Iga!
@iga_swiatek ,” the Spaniard wrote. Even her compatriot Hubert Hurkacz wrote, “Niesamowite Brawo @iga_swiatek !! ” But they are not the only ATP stars who admire Swiatek. Lately, Norwegian pro and newly crowned Madrid Open champion Casper Ruud has also openly revealed his admiration for the former World No.1. Ruud also thinks highly of the American ace Coco Gauff! So what did he say about these two WTA stars?

Last week, Swiatek failed to defend her Madrid Open title after Gauff ousted her in the semis. It wasn’t just a simple defeat, though. Gauff simply dominated the Pole with a double breadstick (6-1, 6-1). Swiatek was seen in tears, in a viral clip, during the match while failing to make a comeback against the American. Later, Ruud noticed this clip and shared an encouraging message for Swiatek. “Hey @iga_swiatek keep your head up Like millions of other people I love watching you play. Not your day today, but you inspire so many and you’ll be back stronger than ever!!,” he wrote.

After he won the Madrid Open title on Sunday, defeating Jack Draper (7-5, 3-6, 6-4), Ruud was asked about Swiatek. While complimenting the five-time slam champion, he also revealed his growing interest in women’s tennis. “I went online and I saw this video of her where she looked devastated on court and I don’t know I wasn’t in her head obviously when knew how she felt. But it felt like she needs some support maybe, so I just tried my best to cheer her up. I think she’s an incredible player and not only her I mean I think the women’s tennis is really cool to watch these days,” the Norwegian said.

Hey @iga_swiatek keep your head up
Like millions of other people I love watching you play. Not your day today, but you inspire so many and you’ll be back stronger than ever!! https://t.co/zV2lQE4kKq

— Casper Ruud (@CasperRuud98) May 1, 2025

Moreover, he went on to shower praises on Swiatek’s rival Gauff as well. These two players are Ruud’s favorites when it comes to women’s tennis. He revealed, “Personally I like both Coco and Iga because I think they play very explosive. They move well, to be women, and they can really slide and I think this is cool to see that the women have also taken like their athletic abilities to the next level. So yeah, I like to follow and see how they develop their games.”

Additionally, Ruud also mentioned that World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, alongside Gauff and Swiatek, are among his favorite WTA players. “You have Sabalenka dominating, Iga has won already won five slams in a young career. Coco is there now number three and so on. So those three have been really cool to follow and watch. And the final, yesterday, I watched a bit of it so yeah I follow a little bit and I think Coco is also really cool to watch.”

Ruud himself received a compliment from Swiatek as well, following the Norwegian’s Madrid Open triumph.

Iga Swiatek showers praise on Casper Ruud’s Madrid Open victory

Sunday’s win against Jack Draper was Casper Ruud’s maiden ATP 1000 title victory. Although he lost the second set after clinching the first, the Norwegian fought back strongly to eventually beat the Brit. Undoubtedly, it was a surreal moment for Ruud as he expressed his feeling after the match. “It feels great, of course. It’s been a long time coming,” he said.

Ruud further added, “(This was) one of the really big goals I dreamed about when I was young, so it’s an incredible feeling to accomplish it. Also the way I did it today, it was a great match. I knew Jack had been playing unbelievable all year, and especially in this tournament, so I knew that if I didn’t bring my A-plus game, I was going to be whooped around the court.”

The Norwegian continued, “Luckily, I played really well. Jack has become such an incredible player, on any surface now. He’s won title on every surface except (clay), and he’s already made finals here in Madrid. So it’s an incredible year he is having. This is a really big boost for me, and I would like to keep it going.”

This title win by Ruud inevitably drew lots of praising words from notable tennis icons. Among them was also Iga Swiatek. She took to her IG and shared a story complimenting the Madrid Open winner. “Congratulations @casperruud. Well deserved .”

The 14-time GS winner also congratulated Ruud. On his X account, the Spaniard wrote, “ @CasperRuud98 Congratulations! So happy for you and your team! Well deserved! .”

With the Madrid Open triumph, Ruud has also witnessed a boost in his rankings. From 15th spot, he’s jumped back into top 10 – currently sitting on the 7th position. It will be interesting to see if he can improve it further with another title win at the Italian Open this month. What are your thoughts on Ruud’s prospects in Rome?

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