Norway’s Casper Ruud has revealed Rafael Nadal’s advice ahead of the Mutua Madrid title defence. Ruud, who played the Roland Garros 2022 final against Nadal, said the veteran Spaniard motivated him to keep giving his best on the tour.

Ruud is the defending champion at Madrid and won one of the most important titles after he defeated Jack Draper in the final in a three-set contest.

Nadal never gave up on any point in his glorious career and Ruud said there is a lot to learn from the veteran.

“Rafa has encouraged me to carry on and give my best,” Ruud said. “You can’t ask any more of a player. Rafa has won so many big titles on clay, I could never compare myself to him. He’s in a league of his own on this surface. If there’s one thing you can learn from him, it’s determination. He never gave up, and he was able to win many matches without being at his best because he was so well prepared physically and mentally.

“There are so many things you can learn from Rafa. This time, we didn’t spend much time together on court. He encouraged me to keep going and told me I have plenty to fight for in the coming weeks.”

The Norwegian expressed his delight after he has attained full fitness to come back on the tour.

“I’m happy to say I’m fully recovered,” revealed Ruud. “I was a bit worried at first, I thought Madrid would be tough. But I’ve had good days of recovery. I spent a week in Mallorca, training at Rafa’s academy and working on fitness off the court. I’m really pleased to be here, ready to compete again”.

“It’s motivating for me to return to the tournament and try to play good tennis,” Ruud, who will compete as the 12th seed this year, said at the Caja Magica. “The next two weeks are going to be very exciting”.

Ruud will play his opening round match on Friday.