“One of the nicest people on Tour”: Iga Swiatek moved by Casper Ruud’s support after brutal los

Iga Swiatek opened up about the kind gesture Casper Ruud had with her following the Madrid Open. The four-time Grand Slam champion once again failed to defend a title this season, falling convincingly in the Madrid semifinals to Coco Gauff, 1-6, 1-6.

The Polish star suffered her seventh consecutive loss in a semifinal, and she hasn’t reached a final since winning Roland Garros 2024. During the match against Gauff, Swiatek showed visible signs of frustration, notably breaking down in tears during a changeover in the second set.

Images of the moment circulated widely on social media, showing Swiatek crying at 1-6, 0-4 while covering her face with a towel before returning to the court. Fellow player Casper Ruud took to social media to offer words of encouragement.

“Hey @iga_swiatek keep your head up🙏🙏,” posted the eventual men’s champion in Madrid. “Like millions of other people I love watching you play. Not your day today, but you inspire so many and you’ll be back stronger than ever!! 😊🤩👏🎾”

Swiatek has now arrived in Rome with hopes of turning around her recent struggles in the final stages of tournaments. Speaking at the pre-tournament press conference, the World No. 2 reflected on Ruud’s support: "Yeah, I think Casper is one of the nicest people on tour. He's so humble and respectful, and he's a true gentleman,”

“I'm happy he wrote that because, for sure, it was one of the messages that got my spirits a little bit up after the loss,” the world No. 2 added. “But overall I know I’m good and I feel good, so I’ll just keep continuing the work I’m doing on the court and hopefully some wins are going to come.”

At least for now, Swiatek has had a strong start at the Rome Open, demolishing Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-1, 6-0 in her opener. In the third round, she will face 29th seed Danielle Collins, against whom she holds a 7-1 head-to-head lead, including 1-0 on clay.