Casper Ruud told his rivals to ‘step up’ and propose to their girlfriends (Image: Eurosport)
Casper Ruud had a clear message for his rivals after popping the question to his long-time girlfriend Maria during the off-season.
The world No. 6 survived a scare to win his opening match at the in five sets.
Afterwards, he used his on-court interview to call out some of his colleagues, telling them to “step up” and propose to their own partners.
Ruud was one of several players who got engaged in the short off-season, with Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alexei Popyrin following suit. Power couple and Alex de Minaur also
But the 26-year-old still believes plenty of guys in the locker room should follow their lead as he dug them out in front of a packed Rod Laver Arena crowd.
Ruud survived a tough test to beat Spaniard Jaume Munar in his opening match on Sunday, needing three hours and 21 minutes to win 6-3 1-6 7-5 2-6 6-1. Afterwards, he was quizzed about his recent proposal.
A runner-up at three Grand Slam tournaments, Ruud was asked whether he was more nervous facing Nadal in a Major final or popping the question to his girlfriend Maria Galligani after six years together.
Casper Ruud’s fiance Maria Galligani was in the stands to cheer him on during his opening match (Image: Getty)
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“I’m nervous now you’ve asked me about it, I don’t want to say the wrong thing,” Ruud laughed after stumbling over his words.
“I’m trying to say I will never forget playing Rafa in a Slam final but for sure, I will also never forget going down on my knee to Maria, it was a beautiful moment. I think this is a bigger moment.”
The Norwegian star was also told that he’d made the locker room nervous, putting some of his competitors under pressure to propose to their own partners. And he had a clear messages for those in long-term relationships.
“Yeah there is, there’s a few other young guys who have been in a relationship for a long time so I’m kind of teasing them,” Ruud replied.
“I hope for their girlfriends that they step up at some point! You know, the other guys know who they are.”
But Ruud also knew some of them had already gotten down on one knee. He added: “There have been a couple of engagements this off-season.
“I’m happy for the guys that do it, it’s a great moment for everyone. We are so focused on our career for 10-and-a-half months of the year so we need a little time off and that was the only time to think about something like this.”
With the 2025 season underway, Ruud is back to focusing on his career. The world No. 6 went undefeated at the recent United Cup, winning his first two matches of the year against Tomas Machac and Hubert Hurkacz, but Norway failed to get out of the group stage.
Now back at Melbourne Park for the first Major of the season, Ruud is through to round two and will face either Jakub Mensik or qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili.