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Casper Ruud issued an apology after defeating Jack Draper in the final of the Madrid Open last year. The number 14 seed beat the British star 7-5 3-6 6-4 in the 2025 final to clinch the biggest title of his career.

After the match, Ruud joined the Sky Sports team for an interview, where he said sorry to the British pundits and viewers. The courteous Norwegian also had some kind words for Draper, calling him a "threat" on any surface. He said: "Sorry to spoil the British party here tonight, but it was, first of all, an incredible match. Jack has been kind of wiping everyone on the floor here in Madrid I knew if I didn't bring my A+ game tonight, it will be really tough. Luckily, I think I did play really well throughout the whole match."

Ruud, 27, added: "Jack has become a threat on any surface. If you look at his career before Madrid, his bigger results had been hard-court or grass.

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"But now he's played so well here in Madrid and shown that he can be a threat and understand the surface. Not like he was a bad clay court player before but he's really taken a big step."

Draper made an impressive start, breaking early in the first set, before Ruud fought back from 5-3 down to secure the opener. After an emotional outburst in his chair, Draper recovered to level and ensure the final went to a deciding set.

But after his serve came under severe pressure, Ruud, a three-time Grand Slam runner-up, broke to lead 3-2 before serving out to clinch his maiden ATP Masters title. Draper said: "This sport is brutal but I will keep trying. I think this loss will make me better.

"I thought there was a lot of good stuff but in a couple of key moments, I felt like his level maintained and mine maybe just dipped off a little bit. Not quite getting over the line helps fuel my fire a bit more that I need to keep on pushing, I need to keep on improving."

Draper, who won the Indian Wells tournament last year, pulled out of this year's Madrid Open, which concludes with the final on Sunday.