PREVIEW | ATP Madrid Open 2025 – Final: Draper seeks first clay title as Ruud hunts elusive Masters glory

This Sunday May 4 it will be play the final of the ATP Madrid Open, the second clay-court Masters 1000 of the season, with Jack Draper and Casper Ruud vying for glory. In a more than open draw, without any top-5 players from the third round onwards, both players showed their consistency to earn a well-deserved spot in the final.

The world No. 6 is in an inspired moment, showing that he can adapt his game to slow courts and maintain his ranking, while Ruud will try to bring out all his experience on his best surface and seeks his first Masters 1000 title after two previous defeats in finals.

The world No. 6 has been showing a remarkable level of tennis since the second part of last year, which led him to his first Grand Slam semifinal at the 2024 US Open and reaching his 5th final since June 2024. In that time, he won titles at the Stuttgart Open (ATP 250), Vienna Open (ATP 500), and Indian Wells Masters. This time, he will seek to win his first title on clay courts and the second Masters 1000 of his career.

The Brit didn't quite find his rhythm at the Monte-Carlo Masters, falling in the third round to Davidovich Fokina, but showed that the conditions, partially faster in Madrid, favored him in advancing to the final. Being a favorite for several rounds, the 23-year-old has already defeated strong opponents such as Matteo Berrettini, Tommy Paul, Matteo Arnaldi (who defeated Fritz on his way), and Lorenzo Musetti, recent finalist in Monte-Carlo.

So far, he has not conceded a set and has consistently relied on his first serve – winning at least 73% of the points on his first serve in each of his matches. Draper is already guaranteed a career-high ranking of world No. 5 after the tournament – regardless of the final result – and remains No. 2 in the ATP Race, only behind Carlos Alcaraz.

Casper Ruud has not been consistent enough over the past year compared to previous seasons and lost his place in the top-10 this week. The final in Madrid will be a motivator for this part of the season, as it will return him to the top-10 just two weeks after a drop due to not defending his title at the Barcelona Open.

The three-time Grand Slam runner-up seeks to avenge his previous two Masters 1000 finals: he fell in the final of the 2022 Miami Open (loss to Carlos Alcaraz) and the 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters (loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas). Surely Ruud was not among the title favorites at the start of the tournament, but he has shown a strong level, still without dropping a set and defeating rivals such as Taylor Fritz (3rd seed), Daniil Medvedev (9th seed), and Francisco Cerundolo (20th seed).

Draper and Ruud have no previous encounters so far, in what will be a clash of styles in Madrid. The altitude conditions favor more powerful players and tend to be a bit faster than in other clay-court tournaments. This has been a factor that has allowed Draper to make better use of his strong serve and gain advantages with the power of his forehand, which has allowed him to take the initiative and dominate points more easily.

Ruud has already shown that he is not intimidated against big servers, as in his victories against Fritz and Medvedev, where he achieved 5 breaks in 15 break point opportunities and conceded only one break in five opportunities against both rivals. Against Cerundolo, in a much more physical match with long rallies, he showed his great weapons as a clay-court specialist, proving particularly effective on the return.

It will be key for Ruud to take advantage of the chances he gets. Against Cerundolo, he only converted 3/18 break points (14%), and against a player with an inspired serve like Draper, opportunities will probably be fewer. In Draper's case, a large part of the task will be done if he maintains his efficiency on serve. He will need to avoid too many long exchanges with Ruud, who is more comfortable from the baseline and has much more experience on slow courts.