MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Casper Ruud is a three-times Grand Slam finalist who has played the greats of the game on the biggest of stages, but the world number six admitted his pulse was racing when he went down on one knee to propose to his long-time girlfriend.
Ruud, who beat Jaume Munar 6-3 1-6 7-5 2-6 6-1 in the first round of the Australian Open on Sunday, had announced his engagement to Maria Galligani in November and his fiancee was watching on as he marched into the second round.
When the Norwegian was asked if he was more nervous while playing Rafa Nadal in the French Open final or asking his girlfriend to marry him, he visibly tensed up, stuttering in his on-court interview at Rod Laver Arena.
“The pulse got up there when you’re about to go down on your knees, it was a great moment. I’m nervous now when you ask me about it,” a smiling Ruud said.
“I’ll never forget playing Rafa in a Slam final, but for sure I’ll also never forget going down on my knee to Maria. It was a beautiful moment, I think it was a bigger moment.
“There’s a few other young guys (in the locker room) that have been in relationships for a long time, so I’m kind of teasing them. I hope for their girlfriends that they step up at some point!”
Ruud has now won three of four five-setters at Melbourne Park, and the 26-year-old said the roller-coaster match was a tricky encounter as he and Munar know each other well, having practiced together at the Nadal Academy in Mallorca.
“I have a positive record against him. That one loss was the last match we played. You think a little bit extra about it,” Ruud told reporters.
“Honestly it’s quite normal to be nervous at the beginning of a tournament. I’ve never played my opening match on a Sunday, and it felt like… I would have been on the way home before the tournament even started. I really didn’t want to lose.
“I guess maybe that helped me pull through the fifth set. Just kind of in a way refusing to lose… It wasn’t necessarily pretty always, but it worked and I got there in the end.”
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by William Mallard)
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