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Norwegian wins fifth ATP Tour title in rain-delayed final

Top seed Casper Ruud is one set away from becoming the first player since Andy Murray in 2011 to complete an ATP Tour hat-trick. The Norwegian leads Spaniard Pedro Martinez by a set in the Generali Open final in Kitzbühel after claiming the opener 6-1 before rain stopped play.

When Ruud returns, he will be aiming to win a 12th consecutive match, having lifted titles at the Nordea Open and Swiss Open Gstaad in July. The 22-year-old’s strong clay-court form has seen him rise to ninth place in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin.

The Norwegian is aiming to match Murray’s achievement from October 2011 when the former World No. 1 lifted the trophies in Bangkok (d. Young), Tokyo (d. Nadal) and Shanghai (d. Ferrer) in three consecutive weeks.

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Ruud, who also captured the Gonet Geneva Open crown (d. Shapovalov) in May, began the first set well. He controlled the tempo with his backhand before stepping inside the baseline to attack on the forehand. He raced into a 3-1 lead and was strong on serve, not facing a break point to move one set ahead after 40 minutes before the rain began to fall.

Spain’s Martinez is competing in his first ATP Tour final on Saturday. The 24-year-old secured the biggest win of his career by FedEx ATP Ranking when he overcame World No. 16 Roberto Bautista Agut en route to the championship match.

ATPTour.com looks at the top Movers of the Week in the FedEx ATP Rankings, as of Monday, 2 August 2021
No. 12 Casper Ruud +2 (Career-High)
The Norwegian has risen two places to a career-high No. 12 in the FedEx ATP Rankings after he completed a clay-court hat-trick by capturing the Generali Open title in Kitzbühel. The 22-year-old, who claimed the Nordea Open and Swiss Open Gstaad crowns in July, has now won 12 straight matches. He is the first player since Andy Murray in October 2011 to win three titles in three consecutive weeks. Read Kitzbühel Final Report & Watch Highlights

View Latest FedEx ATP Rankings

No. 30 John Isner, +5
The 36-year-old has jumped five spots after he won his sixth Truist Atlanta Open title. The American is just the fourth active player to lift at least six trophies at a tour-level tournament, joining Roger Federer (seven events), Rafael Nadal (four events) and Novak Djokovic (four events). Read Atlanta Final Report & Watch Highlights

No. 69 Emil Ruusuvuori, +9 (Career-High)
After advancing to his second ATP Tour semi-final in Atlanta (also 2020 Nur-Sultan), the Finn has moved nine places to a career-high No. 69. The 22-year-old defeated the in-form Cameron Norrie en route to the last four before falling to #NextGenATP Brandon Nakashima.

No. 76 Pedro Martinez, +21 (Career-High)
The Spaniard has climbed 21 spots to a career-high No. 76 after he enjoyed a run to his first ATP Tour final in Kitzbühel. The 24-year-old recorded the biggest win of his career by FedEx ATP Ranking when he overcame World No. 16 countryman Roberto Bautista Agut in the second round.

No. 89 Brandon Nakashima, +26 (Career-High)
The 19-year-old #NextGenATP star is on a roll, having reached back-to-back ATP Tour finals as he advanced to the championship match in Atlanta after reaching the final in Los Cabos the week before. On his run, the American claimed a career-best victory over World No. 22 Milos Raonic.

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Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 71 Gianluca Mager, +3
No. 79 Arthur Rinderknech, +12
No. 91 Mikael Ymer, +8
No. 95 Benjamin Bonzi, +16

Ruud reveals which professional athlete he would like to trade places with
Casper Ruud won the Generali Open in Kitzbühel on Saturday to claim his third title in as many weeks following victories in Bastad and Gstaad. The Norwegian is the first player since Andy Murray in October 2011 to win three titles in three consecutive weeks.

ATPTour.com recently caught up with the new World No. 12 to learn more about his off-court hobbies, which non-tennis star he'd like to switch placed with for a day and more.

When did you first get into play tennis?
I was too young to remember. My father [Christian Ruud] obviously played before. We had a small mini tennis court in the back yard, and ever since I could walk, he took me there to get a feel of the ball and try to do some stuff, just for fun. I was about three, four, five years old.

When did you think you could become a professional tennis player?
Growing up I watched a lot of tennis on TV, and that inspired me to try and be there myself from a young age. I thought about playing tennis on the big screens around the world. It was always on my mind and my dream from eight years old. Then when I was 12, I stopped soccer, golf, and ice hockey in the winter to only focus on tennis.

What would be your perfect day without tennis?
Early morning golf, then have a nice lunch and then head out on my boat and have a nice swim. I like going on the boat and love playing golf, so that would be perfect.

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/casp ... ew'>Casper Ruud</a>
Photo Credit: Generali Open/Alexander Scheuber
What is one thing you could never be good at?
I am not really good with math. It came to a point in school where I lost it a bit. I know the basic stuff, but when you started involving letters in the mathematics I got lost. I would never be a good mathematician.

When you were younger, who did you dream of beating?
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. It was more looking up to them. When you are young it is tough to believe you can be there yourself and beat them. They are more like an inspiration, but the older you get, the more you start to believe, and you get to practise with them sometimes. They are obviously better than you, but maybe not as much as you would maybe think. I was lucky enough to play Novak Djokovic and Federer once, when I went onto the court I went to try and win. You have to try and look at them as just another player you want to beat.

Who would you like to swap places with for one day, inside or outside of tennis?
Maybe a professional golf player when he tees off on the Sunday at The Masters. That would be quite the experience. I think Tiger Woods has done it the most, so maybe him.

Three people you have not met, past or present, to have a meal with?
This is very difficult. Maybe the artist I listen to the most is The Weeknd, so I would probably say him. As an actor, Daniel Craig is my favourite so that is two. The last one, [Michael] Jordan, he is one of the biggest legends. That is a solid trio.

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What one meal could you eat every day for the rest of your career?
In Norway, one nice meal is to have newly baked bread with king crab and mayo. It is pretty boring, but very tasty and you could have it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I am a big fan of Asian food, Thai and Italian as well.

Where in the world would you want to retire to and why?
Getting to know the island of Mallorca in Spain. It is very easy to fall in love with it, so that is my goal to have a nice place there after my career. I also enjoy Florida, so it is tough to pick one. Both have good weather and good golf courses, but I haven’t decided yet. But I have some years to still.

When you are having a bad day, what motivates you to train anyway?
I think having a bad day are the times when you show how much you really want to succeed. You are able to put in a good practice or session, that can show yourself and your team how badly you want it. The guys on tour have had these days, and everyone at the top has been able to fight through it. It is something I have been able to do quite well.

What is your biggest flaw, and what is an example of this?
I think on court, I try to behave as well as possible, and sometimes you get frustrated. You get yourself becoming a little bit too angry and that is something I have been working on since I was young. When I was really young, I really hated losing. I started crying when I lost. I think I have matured quite a lot.

What is the biggest difference between you and your dad off the court?
I am a better golf player than him! The difference is getting bigger now that I am older. I am getting a bit better, and he is getting a bit worse every year. I enjoy watching F1 and cars, but he has no interest in this, so I don’t know where I got this interest from.

What don’t people know about Norway as a country?
It is not very crowded as we are only five and a half million [people]. I will give you a fun fact. If you take the coastline of Norway and stretch it out as one big line, you would go around the world two times. It has many fjords, they are beautiful with the scenery and the waterfalls and nice weather. I would recommend anyone to go, to go in the summertime. It is something I have to do after I retire.