Casper Ruud said gaining revenge for his family was on his mind during his win over Sebastian Korda at the Madrid Open on Sunday but the Norwegian could only grin sheepishly after learning his father Christian had actually beaten Petr Korda 26 years ago.
Christian Ruud defeated former world No 2 Petr Korda in their only meeting on the ATP Tour at the Miami Open in 1999, a stat which surprised world number 15.
"Honestly I thought he had lost to Petr before, so I was out here seeking revenge for the family, but this is an even better statistic for us," he said after his 6-3 6-3 win on Sunday.
"We'll try to keep it alive for as long as possible. It's fun that you see certain situations like this where father and son have played and are doing well.
Following in his father’s footsteps 👥
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) April 27, 2025
26 years after their dads dueled, Casper records another win in the Ruud-Korda rivalry ⚔️#MMOpen pic.twitter.com/whH0o7VhUf
"I'm sure Sebi and I will play many more times in our career and I'll try my best to keep him behind me but at some point I'm sure he'll catch up or get a win over the Ruud family."
Victory was Ruud's 150th win on clay and the twice French Open runner-up will continue his preparations for the May 25-June 8 Grand Slam when he meets third-seeded American Taylor Fritz in the Madrid round of 16.