Casper Ruud closes in on record held by Novak Djokovic following semifinal win at Madrid Open

Norwegian tennis star Casper Ruud is known as a clay court expert, and the former World No.2 has accomplished an impressive feat on the red dirt after reaching the final at the 2025 Madrid Open.

The three-time Grand Slam finalist defeated Argentine Francisco Cerundolo in the semifinals of the Madrid Open on Friday, booking his spot in Sunday's final. Ruud will take on rising British star Jack Draper, who defeated the in-form Lorenzo Musetti in the day's other semifinal.

By virtue of his semifinal win on Friday, Ruud has now reached 18 ATP Tour level finals on clay. This puts him at second place on the list of active players with the most finals on clay, behind 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic. The Serbian sits at the top of the list, with an impressive 34 ATP finals played on clay.

There is a three-way tie for third place. Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka shares this position with former World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz and Olympic gold medalist Alexander Zverev at 14 ATP Tour finals on clay. Alcaraz was forced to withdraw from the Madrid Open due to injury, whereas Zverev suffered a round of 16 loss to Francisco Cerundolo in Madrid. The German had just won the Munich title on clay in front of his home crowd two weeks ago.