After advancing at the Mutua Madrid Open on Thursday, Casper Ruud took time to acknowledge someone who didn’t.
The Norwegian, who defeated Daniil Medvedev to advance to the semifinals, sent a note on X to Iga Swiatek after the Pole’s one-sided, 6-1, 6-1 loss to Coco Gauff in their semifinal. The high-profile contest followed Ruud’s victory on Manolo Santana Stadium.
Trailing Gauff 6-1, 3-0, a camera focused on Swiatek during a changeover, where she covered her face with a towel and appeared to be in tears. Swiatek, the three-time defending champion at Roland Garros, has not won a tournament since winning her fourth title on the terre battue, and had never lost a set to Gauff on clay. But with this stumble on her favorite surface, that title drought continues, and she could lose the No. 2 ranking to Gauff as soon as Monday.
It wasn’t Swiatek’s best day, as Ruud—who like Swiatek has reached multiple finals at Roland Garros—acknowledged in a heartfelt response to the video being posted on social media:
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!!😊🤩👏🎾
