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Casper Ruud and his wife Maria Galligani, celebrated becoming a family before the 2026 Italian Open.
Casper Ruud advanced the 2026 Italian Open final after defeating Luciano Darderi 6-1, 6-1, in just 65 minutes. Following his dominant victory, he will take on none other than hometown hero Jannik Sinner on May 17.
Ruud is 0-4 against Sinner, who hasn’t lost a match since last year.
“It will be a tough match no matter who it is,” Ruud told reporters while waiting to learn his opponent due to the rain delay on Friday. “Either it will be a guy who cannot lose, it seems like. Or it will be Daniil who won this tournament before. Both are great players and incredible athletes.
“If it’s Jannik, it will be another test for me, and hopefully, I can get some sort of revenge from last time we played. See if I can do better… I’m really proud and happy to be in the final here for the first time.”
GettyNorway’s Casper Ruud celebrates after winning the semi-final against Italy’s Luciano Darderi at the 2026 Italian Open.
“It’s a good feeling after a bit of a troubled year. These things have really kind of kick-started the season now. Let’s see if I can keep it going.”
Ruud won his first ATP Masters 1000 title at the 2025 Madrid Open. While he looks to add his second title in Rome, his wife, Maria Galligani, is cheering him on. Making the possible win even more special, knowing it will be his first victory as a husband and father.
Casper Ruud, Wife Maria Galligani, Welcomed a Baby Girl in 2026
GettyCasper Ruud and his wife, Maria Galligani, welcomed a baby girl this year.
The 27-year-old first revealed Maria was pregnant on September 11. He wrote on Instagram, “The team is growing. See you next year babygirl.”
He announced the birth of their daughter in February. Ruud posted a sweet photo of their newborn’s little hand and wrote, “30.01.2026💗 Thank you for all beautiful messages these last couple of weeks. Maria and our baby are doing great💗.”
The tennis community filled the post with heartfelt messages. Rafael Nadal commented, “Congrats Casper & Maria! 😍 Enjoy this special moments!.” Tommy Paul added, “Congrats dude!”
The Norwegian star first started dating Maria in 2018 and proposed in November 2024. While it’s unclear when they wed, he referred to Maria as his wife while speaking to the ATP Tour in January.
“I look forward to hopefully becoming a good parent myself,” Ruud said at the time. “Even though this life requires a lot of time, a lot of energy and a lot of travel and these things, I look forward to trying to be there as much as I can and when I have downtime — time off from the court — I will spend it where I want to go with my future daughter.”
“I think teaching her about my lifestyle and what I was taught when I was young,” he continued. “She’s free to do whatever she wants, doesn’t need to be tennis. But of course it will be natural to at least try and see if she can be active in sport. I think sport in general is a great way for kids to be active and kind of have a place where they belong.”
Overall, he’s thrilled to become a father. “I’m not just doing this for myself anymore, and I have someone extra to play for,” he said.
Casper Ruud’s Wife Maria Galligani Doesn’t Enjoy Being in the Spotlight
GettyCasper Ruud’s wife, Maria Galligani, stays off of social media.
Maria does not have social media and prefers to keep a low profile during matches. “It’s her choice,” Ruud explained to We Are Tennis in November 2024.
“We met before I got to the level I was at now, so things have changed for her as well, and it hasn’t always been easy.” Ruud understands it’s not always easy being a relationship with a professional athlete.
“It’s tennis, it’s treatment, it’s media, it’s meeting a sponsor. It’s a lot of things before you have time for your partner,” Ruud added. “So she’s been very, very patient and great with these things, and on the social media side and headlight side, she doesn’t want it.”
Emily Bicks covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Bills, Seahawks and Chiefs. She’s contributed to Heavy since 2019 and has interviewed some of the biggest stars in sports, including Jerry Rice, Shaquille O’Neal and Stefon Diggs. More about Emily Bicks
